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JAPANESE CRAB-APPLE IN BLOOM AT DOSORIS 



Trees and Shrubs. 



TflE JflPflNESB CRftB APPLE. 



"Oh, how lovely! What is that tree?" 

 arc the exclaniation and interrogation 

 that escape almost unwittingly from vis- 

 itors whenthej- first come upon thisbeau- 

 tiful little tree when it is in bloom. It 

 blossoms at Dosorisin the second or third 

 week in May (this year it will be in per- 

 fection about the 15th, when it is witli- 

 out anj- exception the most conspicuous, 

 showy and floriferous plant on the estate. 

 .\iid it is only a crab apple! But isn't it 

 .1 l)eauty? There are many varieties of it 

 lunvcvtr, mostly diffcring"in the lint or 



size or fullness of their blossoms, or the 

 size or color of the fruit, and several of 

 them are distinguished by gardeners' 

 varietal names, as atrosanguinca, dark 

 crimson buds, and Parkmanii, a semi- 

 double, dark tinted variety that has been 

 widely advertised and sold within thelast 

 few years. It is a good one too. 



This little tree is known in gardens 

 under the names Pyrvs Malus iJorihunda, 

 P. Sieboldii, P. Ringo and P. wicrocarpa, 

 but the proper name of it is P>'rus Tor- 

 ingo. It is a native of Japan, and is said 

 to be the only true apple tree indigenous 

 in that country. It is found there in the 

 northern and'central islands, extending 

 from the sea coast up into the mountains. 

 In cultivation in our gardens it is aclean, 

 healthy and very hardy plant, becoming 



a tree 15 to 20 feet in height. At first it 

 is a little slow growing, being no more 

 than a bushy shriib for several years, but 

 even in this state it never fails to give us 

 blossoms in extravagant measure. It likes 

 good ground, and like most Japanese 

 plants, rather moist if possible. We think 

 the trees are most beautiful just as the 

 crimson tipped buds are beginning to 

 open, and before half of the blossoms 

 have expanded. When open the flowers 

 arc pale pink, but the hue varies in depth 

 in different varieties. The fruits, no big- 

 ger than common peas, are borne in the 

 greatest quantity, and not only do they 

 hang on the branches till frost sets in, but 

 many of them stick on into winter or till 

 thev arc frozen to a pulp, liconomically 

 the Iruit is of no value. 



