SECRET AEY'S PORTFOLIO. 315 



(1) The European Crub, Pj/rus mains. 



(2) The Siberian Crab, Pyrus baccata. 



(3) The American Crab, l^yrus coronaria. 



(4) Tlie Narrow leaved Crab, Pyrus angustifoUa. 



The last two named are both American crabs; Xo. 3 being the common wild 

 apple of the Northern States and Canada, and the last belonging to the South. 

 P. coronaria is, however, found south as well as north. P. mains is the wild 

 form of our common apple. These are the crabs, lotanically speaking; but 

 pomology recognizes as a crab any small apple suited for cider-making, such 

 as Hughes' Virginia crab and others of a like character. 



There has lately arisen a third nso of the word, which may be called the 

 nurseryman's, orchardist's and fruit dealer's definition. The Siberian and 

 American crabs having come into cultivation chiefly as ornamental trees, 

 there has sprung from them (chiefly from the former) a class of apples differ- 

 ing from all others, and varying considerably among themselves. It is well 

 understood that when wild fruits are subjected to cultivation they show a ten- 

 dency to ''^ sport," that is, to change their size, color, flavor, etc., frequently 

 for the better. Sometimes this sporting occurs only on a single limb. It is 

 then called '*bud variation," and may be perpetuated by budding or grafting 

 from that limb. Ijut usually sporting occurs from the seed, and the product, 

 if better than the original wild fruit, is called an improved sort, and if from a 

 crab apple, an *' improved crab." This improvement may be due only to the 

 change induced by cultivation ; or it may be caused by a crossing with some 

 already improved aj^ple of the same or another species. This crossing is the 

 result of the application of pollen from the flowers of the improved to the 

 flowers of the wild sort. When the two belongs to the same species (both 

 P. mains, for instance, one the wild and the other improved fruit) then the 

 apple that springs from the new seed is a true ** cross." But if the new seedling 

 results from a mixture of two distinct species (P. baccata, for instance, with 

 P. mains) then the seedling is a *' hybrid," just as a mule is a hybrid between 

 the horse and the ass. 



Tiiese *' nurseryman's crabs " are becoming very numerous, and are distin- 

 guished among themselves by wide differences. Some are but little advanced 

 from the wild forms, while others have been '^ennobled" to the degree that 

 they had lost all, or nearly all, the peculiar characteristics of their wild 

 ancestry. About all the best known apples of this class have sprung from 

 the Siberian crab, as female or seed-bearing parent, though a few such, as the 

 Soullard, are of American stock. 



The calling of all these new hybrids of the Pyrus mains or the Pyrtis 

 daccat a by the name ot *'' crabs" is very misleading, especially in those parts 

 of the country where people have but little knowledge of them. Many 

 nurserymen now designate them as *' Hybrid Siberian apples,'^ and this name 

 should, we think, be generally adopted. The merits of this race of apples on 

 the score of hardiness, productiveness, and beauty, are not to be despised, 

 especially for severe localities along our northern border and in Canada. For 

 sweetmeats they are much superior to common apples, either canned as pre- 

 serves or for jellies; the latter, when well made, being quite equal in firmness 

 and fineness of flavor to the famous guava jelly of the tropics. Improvement 

 is still going on, so that a few varieties are of quite large size and good dessert 

 quality. Like the Russian apples (which are by some botanists referred to 

 the same origin), the proportion of winter fruit occurring among these is rela- 



