110 



SUCCESSFUL FRUIT CULTURE 



good cultivation and fertilization th^n the quince, but 

 nitrogenous manures should not be used too freely dur- 

 ing the summer. If stable manure is used, it had 

 best be put on in the fall and late cultivation should 

 be avoided, as a late growth tends to increase the 

 danger of an attack of the fire blight, which is often 

 very destructive to the quince. For the production of 

 fruit from three liundred to five hundred pounds of 

 sulphate of potash and one-fourth to one-half ton of 

 fine ground bone will make a good dressing, according 

 to the condition of the land and the grow^th of the trees. 



Fig. 57— Orange Quince 



Fig. 58— Rea's Quince 



Pruning — Little or no pruning is required after the 

 trees have become established, except to cut off the 

 suckers from the trunk or roots if they become too 

 numerous and to keep the head in good form. In good 

 soil the quince begins to bear paying crops of fruit in 

 from four to six years from planting in the orchard and 

 continues to bear, with good treatment, for from twenty 

 to forty 3^ears. 



Harvesting — The fruit should not be gathered until 

 it begins to turn yellow, when it may be all picked at 

 once. Like the varieties of the apples with yellow 

 skin, it must be hanfllod Avith greatest care, as even 



