THE CULTIVATOR 
195 
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CULTIVATION OF FRUIT.—No. VI. 
THE QUINCE. 
The quince may be propagated by layers, seeds and 
cuttings. If by cuttings, they are to be taken from the 
tree in spring, and placed in a light, deep soil, in a 
moist shaded place, buried not less than ten inches or a 
foot deep,and leaving but a small portion above ground. If 
a shaded place cannot be had, spread over the surface of 
the ground, after they are planted, a coat of decayed 
leaves. If the weather becomes very dry, water them. 
To obtain trees by layers, the young shoots are to be 
laid down in spring, and buried so as to leave only two 
or three buds at the extremity, above ground; and when 
these have grown a few inches, one only is to be left, 
which will grow the same season, from two to three feet. 
In the autumn, if well rooted, they are to be removed 
from the tree and set out in rows; and if the ground is 
suitable, and they are kept straight by stakes, they will in 
two years more, make good trees for removal as stand¬ 
ards. 
The soil for the quince should be deep, rich, and some¬ 
what moist. The trees being small, the distance asunder 
need not be more than eight or ten feet. 
The best varieties are the Orange , the Pear or Oblong, 
and the Portugal quince. 
The Orange, sometimes called from it shape, the Ap¬ 
ple quince, has ovate leaves, downy beneath, and large 
roundish fruit, with a short thick neck, and is of a beau¬ 
tiful rich yellow color. It ripens about the middle of 
autumn. It is the only variety extensively cultivated in 
this country. There appears to be several sub-varieties, 
differing slightly in shape, and considerably in size, but 
little in quality. The largest sometimes weigh a pound. 
The Pear quince has oblong-ovate leaves, and a 
smoother, more delicate, and more elongated fruit, of a 
regular pear shape. It is quite distinct from the prece¬ 
ding, resembles it in quality, but is of more delicate tex¬ 
ture. 
The Portugal quince, though largely cultivated in 
England, appears to be little known in this country. Ac¬ 
cording to Loudon, it has broad cordate leaves, and an 
oblong fruit, which is more juicy, and less harsh than 
the others, and therefore the most desirable. It is rather 
a shy bearer, which must form a decided objection, as 
cultivators find sufficient difficulty in this quarter, from 
the most prolific varieties. 
Pruning, to the quince is indispensible. If neglected, 
it soon throws up a profusion of suckers and branches, 
and ceases to bear plentifully, and the fruit becomes 
small, knotty and worthless. Such trees, by thorough 
and judicious pruning, have been known to yield abun¬ 
dantly of fine large fruit, one year after the operation, 
cultivation of the soil being also strictly attended to. 
The Quince forms excellent stocks for some varieties 
of the pear, improving their quality, and rendering them 
more productive. The pears most benefitted by quince 
stocks, appear to be summer and autumn varieties and 
those of a decisively melting character. 
The Japan and Chinese quinces are cultivated merely 
as ornamental shrubs. 
A very formidable, and nearly the sole enemy to the 
quince, is the Borer. This is the larvae of an insect, 
which attacks the tree near the surface of the ground, 
and works inwards, generally upwards, but sometimes 
downwards, to a distance of several inches during sum¬ 
mer, perforating the wood. These depredators instead 
of throwing out their excreted matter like the peach 
worm, pack it behind them, as is common with all borers 
through wood. 
The insect which produces this larvae does not appear 
to be certainly known.* There is however, strong rea¬ 
son for believing it a species of Cerambyx. The writer 
received a few years since, an insect taken by L. W. 
Lawrence of Hudson from a quince tree which had been 
*The writer has not seen Harris’ treatise on destructive in¬ 
sects, which it is presumed, contains all the necessary inform¬ 
ation; but as others also may not have seen the work, the ac¬ 
companying observations are detailed. 
killed by the borer. It was one of several found in a 
chrysalis state in the trunk of the tree, and from which, 
the perfect insect sent, was obtained. It was found on 
examination to belong to the genus Cerambyx of Linne- 
aeus and Latreille. The following is a description. An¬ 
tennae with ten joints, tapering gradually towards the 
point, head white, except a light brown spot upon the 
crown, one of the same color behind each eye, and two 
I very small diverging oblong spots upon the front; eyes 
very dark brown; labrum brown at the base, yellowish 
white on the upper surface at the extremity; thorax yel¬ 
lowish brown above with two broad longitudinal white 
lines, white beneath; elytra yellowish brown above, 
with two longitudinal white lines along the middle of 
each, and which are a continuation of the white lines on 
the thorax; all the lower part of the body hoary white. 
According to the author of the article Cerambyx in 
Rees’ Cyclopedia, the larvse “ resemble soft, oblong, 
slender worms, with a shelly head, furnished with strong 
jaws, and six feet on the anterior part. They live prinei- 
cipally in trees, the inner part of which they bore through, 
reducing the wood to powder, and undergo their changes 
jfrom the larvae to the pupa, and thence to the perfect 
state, in the cavities which they bore.” 
As the borer very frequently destroys the tree, various 
means have been suggested and tried to prevent the inju¬ 
ry. Incasing the lower part of the trunk in a box of 
coal dust, pulverized blacksmith’s cinders, tar, or unleach¬ 
ed ashes, have been tried with various degrees of suc¬ 
cess. But the best method appears to be direct attack. 
The soil should be scraped away from the trunk to a 
depth of two or three inches, and then cut in with a 
knife lengthwise, and not across the bark where it is pos¬ 
sible to avoid it, until the insects are found. The opera¬ 
tion should be repeated once a week for several times, as 
there are generally a number in each tree, and some are 
almost certain to escape the first examination. After¬ 
wards, the wounded parts should be coated with a suita¬ 
ble composition, as a mixture of tar with ochre or brick- 
dust, or thick paint. As the insects are constantly pene¬ 
trating deeper, it is a great saving of labor to arrest their 
progress early, when they can be removed with facility; 
hence trees should be examined frequently. But when 
they have been neglected, and the tree becomes much 
perforated, to attempt to cut them out would destroy it; 
hence the expedient of drawing them out of the hole by 
means of a flexible barbed wire, has been successfully re¬ 
sorted to. At an earlier period, they are easily punched 
to death in their holes by a flexible twig. It has also 
been suggested, when the hole is very crooked, to inject 
strong soap-suds, or a decoction of tobacco, in order to 
destroy them. But it may be questioned whether this is 
sufficient for the purpose, as larvae generally are very te¬ 
nacious of life, some even continuing to live when im- 
Imersed in nitric acid or a solution of corrosive subli¬ 
mate. 
Perhaps the best means of effectually preventing the 
ravages of t*he borer, would be to graft the quince upon 
pear stocks, as the latter is very rarely known to be at¬ 
tacked by this insect.* J. J. T. 
EARLY FRUIT. 
Many cultivators of fruit sustain a material loss by not 
directing their attention more particularly to the earliest 
varieties. They often allow one month to pass, unsup¬ 
plied, when they might be furnished with abundance. 
The earliest garden vegetables frequently sell in market 
for ten times the common price, and early fruit possesses 
equal comparative value. They are not worth less for 
the cultivator’s own use. 
Strawberries and raspberries, of select varieties, would 
soon furnish a supply of delicious fruit; and when a very 
few weeks have elapsed, the earlier varieties of apples, 
pears, peaches, plums, and most varieties of apricots, 
will be fully ripe. To assist in procuring these, it may 
be stated, that the Yellow Harvest, Summer Pear main. 
* In a communication, read a few years since, before the 
Mass. Hort. Soc. by E. M. Richards, it was stated that the plan 
called Southernwood, planted at the foot of the apple tree, ef 
fectually repelled the borer. It may be worthy of trial, 
