15 
laefolia growing with it have suffered seriously from this disease. It 
therefore seems possible that good results in hardiness, freedom from 
disease and improvement of fruit might possibly be obtained in seed- 
ling forms of this Chinese tree or by crossing it with some of our gar- 
den varieties. The European and western Asiatic Pear-trees bloom 
rather later than the Chinese species but their flowers will soon open. 
The original collection of Pear-trees is on the left-hand side of the 
Forest Hills Road; a larger and more complete collection has recently 
been planted in the hollow at the eastern base of Peter’s Hill, and 
there are good specimens of the species introduced by Wilson from 
western China on the southern slope of Bussey Hill with other Chinese 
trees and shrubs. 
Asiatic Crabapples. The flowers of these trees are unusually late 
this spring, but unless the weather continues exceptionally wet and cold 
there will be open flowers on at least a few species by the 17th, and 
many others will be in full l3loom by the 22nd or 23rd of the month. 
The flowers of these trees make one of the principal spectacular dis- 
plays of the year in the Arboretum, and only that made by the Lilacs 
attracts a larger number of visitors. Most of the trees are well cov- 
ered by buds, but there will be no flowers on a few individuals, includ- 
ing the plant of Malus floribunda at the foot of the bank on the left 
hand side of the Forest Hills drive. This is unusual for Malus jiori- 
hunda rarely fails in May to excite admiration by its countless thou- 
sands of deep rose-colored flower-buds and white petals. Other trees 
of this Crabapple in the Arboretum will flower this year as usual, and 
the tree of Malus arnoldiana, a hybrid of Malus Jloribunda and an 
even more beautiful plant, in the group on the Forest Hills Road which did 
not flower last yeor, is now covered with flower-buds. For forty years 
the Arboretum has been engaged in forming this collection of Crabap- 
ples in which are now found all the American and Asiatic species, many 
distinct varieties of the species and a number of hybrids. It still lacks, 
however, the wild type of the species of western Europe {Malus 
sylvestris) which it has not been possible to find. This is unfortunate 
for this Crabapple has played a more or less important part in the 
development of the cultivated Apple-trees of orchards. The Crab- 
apples in the Arboretum hybridize freely among themselves and it is 
useless to plant seeds gathered from these trees with the expectation 
that they will reproduce the plants from which they were gathered. 
The seedling trees may prove worthless or they may be superior to any 
of the Crabapples now cultivated. The characters of any species, va- 
riety or hybrid can be preserved in its descendants only by means of 
grafting or budding; and it is for this reason that many of the hand- 
some plants in the Arboretum collection are still rare in other collec- 
tions. For those fortunate persons to whom the beauty of a plant 
means more than its identity and correct name Crabapples raised from 
seeds gathered in collections like that of the Arboretum might be recom- 
mended, but such seedlings will require names to make them salable 
and gardeners’ names for plants of doubtful parentage will only add to 
the perplexities of the students of cultivated plants. Stock plants raised 
by grafts from correctly named individuals would in the hands of a few 
competent nurserymen supply in time the country with correctly named 
Crabapples and save planters much loss of time and many disappoint- 
ments. 
