PEACH AND THE PEAR. 371 



or in some selected garden spot. These trees will grow 

 with any treatment. I refer now to field culture. 



The soil I say must be deep and rich, and thoroughly 

 drained, with some sand in it. If near salt water, so 

 much the better, and hence, I would recommend the field- 

 culture of quinces in the southern part of the Peninsula 

 near salt water. They must be mulched heavily every 

 Fall, long coarse hay, salt hay, or straw or leaves will 

 do. The fine roots run close to the ground and must be 

 protected from the frost of our Winters. Tramp around 

 them occasionally to drive out the mice during the cold 

 weather, and especially near Spring. In the Spring, 

 scatter the Autumn mulch around the tree as far as the 

 branches extend, and give the tree a dressing of from 

 three to five pounds of muriate of potash, the amount 

 depending on the size of the tree, one year, and the next 

 year a like amount of Kainit scattered around as far as 

 the branches extend, and so alternating from year to 

 year. Now as soon as the weather gets warm, fork over 

 the ground to the depth of three inches only, with a 

 common dung fork, re-mulch with salt hay, if you can 

 get it ; if not, any straw, hay, or leaves will do. Two or 

 three times during the summer, scatter salt over the 

 mulch ; this keeps up moisture and the quince delights in 

 salt. It will be seen we have not ploughed the ground. 

 Well, the secret of success is, not to use the plough, as it 

 disturbs the roots of the quince, they being so superficial. 



