THE SOULABD CRAB 'J'il 



used for conserves, &c." Bui if the aative crabs lack 

 in attractive qualities of fruit, thej make good the 

 deficiency in beaut} and fragrance of flowers. Thej 

 are amongst the choicest <>f aative small tress for 

 ornamental planting. There is also a double -flowered 

 form (probably of T*yrus loensis), introduced to the 

 trade in 1893 as "Bechtel's Double -flowering Crab." 



Amelioration Was Begun 



If the forms <>r types of native crabs ended here, 

 the matter would 1"- simple enough ; but there are 

 certain Large-fruited kinds which have been picked 

 ap in the Mississippi valley and introduced into cul- 

 ti vat ion, and three or four of them have received trade 

 names. We musl now make an efforl to understand 

 their botanical features and histories. The mosl 

 important of these crabs, which have been found in 

 the wild, is the Soulard (Figs. 49, 50). This Soulard 

 • •rah has been much talked about, and yet there ap- 

 pears to be Little definite information concerning it, 

 particularly in ref< irenci • to its botanical characters. 

 The frail was named for ll<>n. -lames (i. Soulard, 

 of Galena, Illinois, who introduced it. The follow- 

 ing accounl <>t' its origin was given before the Hor- 

 ticultural Societj of Northern Illinois l.\ Mr. Soulard 

 iii 1869; and the same facts are also given by him 

 in "Gardener's Monthly ." \. 199 (July, 1868 



"At the requesl of the Horticultural Society of Jo 



Daviess couuty, 111.. I pr ied to give a statement of 



this remarkable hybrid. It originated on a farm 



about twelve miles from St. Louis, Bio., where gt 1 



an American crab thicket ool enclosed, near the farm 



