April, 1910 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST 



95 



necessary large limbs and continue the 

 pruning of small twigs then and every year 

 afterwards. Read the articles on pruning 

 that appear in this magazine. 



How often has the orchard been sprayed? 

 "Never!" Well, commence now. No work 

 in orchard management pays better. In 

 some seasons, spraying means the difference 

 between ten dollars and one dollar or less 

 on one tree. 



When all these things are put into prac- 

 tice, the orchard will take a new lease of 

 life. Try it and see. Do not put it off. 

 Hundreds of farmers have done this and are 

 making money that at one time they did 

 not believe possible. They have made new 

 orchards out of old ones. If you have an 

 orchard, you can do the same. If you 

 haven't one, buy trees and plant. It pays 

 to grow fruit. 



measure used in Canada. In the table on 

 page 69, it should also be stated that the 

 treatment for plant lice is not always as 

 successful as might be desired. 



l^t 



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PUBLISHERS' DESK 



The March issue of The Canadi.vn Horti- 

 OTJLTURIST was a record breaker in many 

 ways. It was not only the largest issue 

 that we have ever published, but it con- 

 tained the largest number of columns of 

 advertising, the value of the advertising was 

 the greatest, there was the largest number 

 of individual advertisers, and also the larg- 

 est number of new advertisers, of any single 

 issue. This not only shows that our old 

 advertisers are still using the paper and 

 that it brings results for them, but that new 

 advertisers in large niimbers are beginning 

 to find that The Canadi.\n Horticultttrist 

 is a paper that appeals to the class of people 

 whom they wish to reach. 



As this page is one of the first to go to 

 press, we are unable to give any definite in- 

 formation regarding the April issue, but 

 from indications as our first forms go to 

 press, the April 

 issTie will be an- 

 other "largest ev- 

 er." What better 

 evidence can we 

 give that The 

 Canadian Horti- 

 crriTTjRiST is 

 "making good" 

 with its advertis- 

 ers? 



If this catches 

 your eye, Mr. Ad- 

 vertiser, who is 

 not advertisine in 

 The Canadian Hon- 

 TICTTLTtTRrST. why 

 not let the experi- 

 ence of other ad- 

 vertisers guide you 

 and plan to use 

 space .'n the May 

 issue. It will be 

 a good one. Form.? 

 close Anril 20th. 



What is a Crab Apple? 



In connection with this question the il- 

 lustration that appears on this page is par- 

 ticularly interesting. Mr. R. A. Harrison, 

 of Cataraqui, Ont., from whom the speci- 

 mens were received, states that this seedling 

 has been accepted by consumers, by nursery- 

 men and by professional horticulturists as a 

 crab-apple. He writes : 



"Our customers always pay us double the 

 price that they could buy any other crabs 

 for, and they always remember to ask for 

 them the next season. We have not had the 

 slightest difiBculty in having them accepted 

 as crabs. They are extra good keepers for 

 crabs. 



"An apj)le grower could probably point 

 out the tree as a crab at 100 yards dis- 

 tant, if it were growing in a row with other 

 apple trees. It looks like a crab tree, and 

 its crab leaves are nearly as large as a man's 

 hand — oerfect crab tree leaves." 



In the report for 1905 of Mr. W. T. Ma- 

 coun, Horticulturist, Central Experimental 

 Farm, Ottawa, this apple is described, under 

 the heading "New Fruits," as follows: 



"Seedling crab apple. — Fruit large for a 

 crab ; two by two and one-half inches ; form, 

 roundish, slightly angular; cavity, medium 

 depth and width ; stem, long, slender ; basin 

 open, medium depth, much wrinkled ; calyx, 

 closed ; color, yellow, well washed with deep 

 crimson and splashed with dark crimson ; 

 dots few, yellow distinct ; skin, moderately 

 thick, moderately tough ; flesh, yellow, tend- 

 er, juicy ; core medium ; briskly subacid ; 

 pleasant flavor, very little astringency ; 

 quality, good for a crab ; season, probably 

 early to mid-October. A handsome crab of 

 the largest size. May prove desirable as a 

 late variety." 



Since Mr. Macoun wrote the above des- 

 cription and after he had examined more 

 specimens, he stated in a letter to The Can- 

 adian HoRTictrLTTjRisT that, in his opinion, 

 the introducer would have difficulty in get- 

 ting this apple accepted as a crab apple. This 

 is the opinion of The Canadian Hortictjl- 

 TTJRIST. The size of the fruit alone would 

 place it outside of the list of crabs. Fur- 

 thermore, its origin is obscure, it being a 

 chance seedling. Mr. Marrison says : 



"I have always believed it to be a seed- 

 ling of the Snow apple, as it came up where 

 a lot of refuse from Snows had been thrown ; 

 but some specimens of its fruit grow larger 

 than that variety." 



The case of this seedling further em- 

 phazises the need for a definition to dis- 

 tinguish between apples and crab apples. 

 What do the readers of The Canadian Hor- 

 TioxiLTTTRisT think of this case? More ex- 

 pressions of opinion on the general ques- 

 tion are invited. Note the following from 

 Mr. W. M. Robson, of Lindsay, Ont. : "The 

 question, 'What is a crab apple?' is a 

 startling announcement, notwithstanding 

 the present advancement in the science of 

 pomology. It is a strange anomaly that 

 necessitates some authentic answer to its 

 identity. Of late, several seedlings from 

 apple parentage of a size that would scarcely 

 command recognition as an apple of merit, 

 yet, being insidiously merged into the crab 

 apple family, have become a prodigy in 

 this class. Thus, subject" to the whim, or 

 caprice of the individual, their propagation 

 (and questionable accuracy) is continued, 

 resulting in the confusion of species. 



"After more than 50 years of apple cul- 

 ture in Ontario, with its several colleges, 

 each having its chair on Pomology and 

 Horticulture, not to mention the numerous 

 auxiliaries by way of horticultural societies, 

 lectures, conventions, and demonstrations-^ 

 all intended to aid and disseminate the 

 principles and essentialities of fruit-growing 

 including kinds, qualities and correct nom- 



Tn the article on 

 "The Preparation 

 and TTsp of Con- 

 centrated L i m o- 

 Sulphur," bv Prof. 

 J. P. Stewart, 

 that appeared in 

 our March issue, 

 all references to 

 gallons on page 5.3 

 are in wine mens- 

 nvp. Five gallons 

 in this measure 

 e n u a 1 approxi- 

 mately four gal- 

 lons Imperial, the 



Two Speciment of a Seedling Crtb Apple, "Phenomenal" — Actual Size — The Largeit and the Smallest that the Tree Bore La>t Season 



The question. "What is a crab apple?" that has been discussed in recent issues of The Canauian Hoktioultuuist, was 

 Qrst asked on the receipt last fall of a number of apples of various kinds, which were claimed by the senders to be crab apples. 

 The specimens from which this illustration was made were among the number. The apples measured in circumference lO^a x 

 9% and SM. i SV2 inches respectively. They were sent by Mr. E. A. Marrison, Cataraqui, Ont. 



