In 2002 Boomkwekerij Fleuren gave us twenty trees grafted on Q-Eline for us to test at our nursery, which has an area of 20 hectares. I noted that the pears were a bit larger and had a much smoother skin than pears from other quince rootstocks. Some people find them too smooth, but I don’t agree with that. Quite the contrary, with russeted pears often being difficult to sell, I find that smooth pears offer good prospects. Chinese consumers, for example, prefer smooth pears. And as the rootstocks are very frost-resistant, there’s no need to protect them with mushroom compost. So I see good opportunities for Eline quinces. If I were to start all over again, I’d go for Q-Eline and nothing else!”
