294 



HORTICULTURi: 



March 



1908. 



late fall. AUhonsh its beaiKy depenils 

 almost entirely on the bloom, it is par- 

 licularly handsome and as regards deli- 

 cate modelinK and exquisite coloring it 

 is the most charnnng of the group. It is 

 not as vigorous a grower as most of 

 these plants and is more exacting in its 

 demands if one is to get the most satis- 

 factory results. It is decidedly a plant 

 for a garden or lawn and should not be 

 placed in poor soil or in trying situa- 

 tions. 

 The Chinese Flowering Apple (Pyrus 



spectabilis) 

 is an apple which has been long in 

 cultivation. It is a small shrub-like 

 tree growing under garden cultivation 

 from twenty to twenty-five feet high. 

 The branches are upright in habit of 

 growth, rather symmetrical, and when 

 the plani reaches maturity the form is 

 vase-like. The foliage is of moderate 

 density and the leaves are thick and of 

 a dark green color. However, the 

 foliage has no particular merit and is 

 inferior, as I believe, to that of most 

 of the apples. The flowers of the 

 forms growing in cultivation are semi- 

 double, nearly an inch across when 

 fully expanded, pale rose in color 

 fading to white, and of delightful 

 fragrance. They appear in great pro- 

 fusion each year, and in the vicinity of 

 Boston begin to opeti about the mid- 

 dle of May. Fruit is rarely borne and 

 is of no consequence for ornamental 

 purposes. It is easy to grow and is 

 one of the desirable trees for a small 

 place, yet it is very little planted 

 at the present time, although it is one 

 of the older introductions formerly 

 much used. As Loudon remarked, "no 

 garden, whether large or small, ought 

 to be without this tree." 



The Dwarf Crab or Toringo (Pyrus 



Toringo) 

 is a spreading shrub or dwarf tree 

 from Japan. The leaves are deeply 

 incised and often three-lobed, a dis- 

 tinguishing feature of the species. The 

 flowers are smaller than those of the 

 other apples, white or blush in color 

 and borne on slender stems. The fruit 

 Is minute, red or yellow. In contrast 

 to the other apples, this species has 

 Interesting autumnal coloring, the 

 leaves assuming a deep purple. This 

 is less valuable than many of the plants 

 which we aie considering, yet it is 

 certainly worthy of a place where one 

 is grouping them. 



Pyrus Scheideckeri. 

 Turning from these well tried exotic 

 species perhaps it may be well to gain 

 the acquaintance of some of the newer 

 introductions. Of these Pyrus Schei- 

 deckeri is a plant of German origin, 

 the scientific disposition of which is in 

 doubt. It is a small round tree, up- 

 right in habit and very much resemb- 

 ling the Flowering Crab. The flowers 

 are double, red changing to rosy pink, 

 and open a little later than those of 

 the Flowering Crab. Then they are 

 very tenacious, perhaps even more so 

 than the flowers of the Chinese Flow- 

 ering A|)ple. It is hardy, vigorous and 

 certainly promises very well. 



Pyrus Niedzwetzkyana. 

 t^oming from the Russian Caucasus 

 is a new apple, the Py-rus Niedzwetz- 

 kyana. When in bloom at the Arnold 

 Arboretum in the spring of 1905 it was 

 perhaps the most striking object there. 

 It is a small tree with an open and 



I'yrus Scheideckeri. 



somewhat irregular roundish head. The 

 new leaves are deep purple in color, 

 becoming at maturity a deep green. 

 The .wood of the newer growths is also 

 purple. The flowers are single, borne 

 profusely and deepest in color of any 

 of this group, being an intense purplish 

 red. It is one of the earliest to bloom, 

 being in its prime a little after the 

 Siberian Crab. It is hardy, apparently 

 vigorous, and seems destined to make 

 an excellent garden or lawn tree. 



The Wild Crab Apple (Pyrus coron- 

 aria). 

 Of our own native apples the Wild 

 Crab Apple is the best, comparing fa- 

 vorably with the most satisfactory ex- 

 otic species. It is indigenous to the 

 forest glades of the region south of 

 the Great Lakes and among the Alle- 

 gheny Mountains. In form it is a low, 

 bushy tree, grow'ing under favorable 

 circumstances to a height of twenty- 

 five or thirty feet, while its branching 

 is characteristically stiff and angular. 

 It is a late bloomer and prolongs the 

 display of apple blossoms, a fact which 

 gives it decided value aside from its 

 other merits. Perhaps it is less showy 

 than most of the members of this 

 group because the leaves have unfolded 

 when the flowers appear. These are 

 white or rose-color, nearly two inches 

 across when fully expanded, and de- 

 lightfully fragrant. The fruit is about 

 an inch across, waxy, yellowish green, 

 possessing some ornamental value and 

 servin.g for jellies and preserves. The 

 plant is perfectly hardy, vigorous ana 

 easy to grow. It is best used in 

 masses, either in conjunction with 

 others of the flowering apples or with 

 strong growing shrubs or low trees. It 

 could be successfully employed in 



screen or border plantations, and 

 would be admirably placed when used' 

 on the margin of a natural woodland. 

 All in all it is the most meritorious of 

 the apples as well as one of the most 

 desirable of small trees. 



The Western Crab Apple (Pyrus 

 loensis) 

 is a small tree native to the West, 

 very similar to the preceding. The 

 habit of growth is very much like that 

 of the Wild Crab Apple, while the 

 color of the flowers and the period of 

 their expansion are practically the 

 same. Likewise the treatment and use 

 would be identical. Although it is 

 doubtful if the type is sufficiently dis- 

 tinct to vi'arrant planting, this cer- 

 tainly cannot be said of the beautiful 

 double-ilow-ered form known as Bech- 

 tel's Crab. 



Now to a-ssemble the attributes and 

 emphasize the fitness of our old and 

 newly acquired friends. We have found 

 them to be hardy, sturdy and far from 

 exacting in their requirements. Their 

 adaptation to a wide field of usefulness 

 is evident and their fitness to their 

 particular tasks goes without saying, 

 whether it is to gladden a garden or 

 lawn as specimens, to enliven the back- 

 .ground of shrubbery, to add cheer to 

 a screen or boundary planting, or to 

 brighten the borders or open glades of 

 some native woodland. Their beauty 

 is beyond portrayal. The rose with its 

 suffused fragrance and its delicate 

 splendor is no rival when their 

 branches arch beneath the many flow- 

 ers, all modest in the presence of their 

 own wonderful coloring. 



