April 30, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
549 
is also a great gain over other stimulants as far as 
appearances go. 
Wood-ashes are also very beneficial upon all soils 
infested with wire worm, in short they should be 
more freely used upon all stiff soils. The rakings, 
sweeping, dead branches, and any similar materials 
from among trees and shrubs, should never be allowed 
to rot into a musty fungus breeding heap, as we too 
often see. Burn them, and so kill the numerous 
insects that are always contained in such decaying 
rubbish, and at the same time you will secure a few 
of the most valuable ashes one can possibly have.— 
Experience. 
--*►- 
HARDY TREES & SHRUBS. 
Crabs and Service Trees. 
The ornamental species of Pyrus, including the 
Apple, Pear, Service Trees, Medlars, and Quinces, 
will soon be in bloom, 
and all of them are more 
or less ornamental, some 
of them highly so. Al¬ 
though we are accustomed 
to look upon the culti¬ 
vated and highly improved 
forms of Apples and Pears 
from a utilitarian point 
of view, they are none the 
less ornamental whether 
in blossom or in fruit. To 
these may be added a 
number of small fruited 
Apples popularly known 
as Crabs, and which are 
esteemed for their orna¬ 
mental character when in 
fruit. Independently of 
these, however, there are 
several species, and some 
of them having varieties, 
all of which are appro 
priate subjects for the 
shrubbery or pleasure 
grounds. They may be 
propagated by seeds or by 
budding and grafting, the 
two latter methods being 
very frequently resorted to, 
especially in the case of 
varieties. 
Pyrus baccata. — The 
Siberian Crab has large, 
and pale or white flowers, 
which are highly con¬ 
spicuous when produced 
in great abundance as they 
usually are ; but the trees 
are even more effective 
when loaded with fruit in 
the autumn. The latter is 
about the size of a Cherry, 
and when ripe the resem¬ 
blance is even more strik¬ 
ing owing to the dropping 
of the calyx, which leaves 
the fruit quite smooth, 
and to the shining yellow 
skin more or less heavily 
shaded with bright red. When mature they hang on 
the trees for a long time brightening, the landscape 
during the autumn months. The species is a native 
of Siberia and Dahuria, attaining in this country a 
height of 15 ft. to 20 ft., ultimately forming a broad, 
spreading head. The fruit is agreeable to the taste 
and useful for preserving, so that it is valuable as 
food as well as ornamental. 
P. fennica. —The Finnland Service Tree is also 
known as P. pinnatifida, as the leaves are deeply 
lobed or pinnatifid, and sometimes even pinnate at 
the base. In this respect it bears some resemblance 
to the Mountain Ash, and is known in some northern 
localities as Lord Fife's Ash. It is regarded by some 
as a hybrid between P. scandica and the Mountain 
Ash, and is a native of different parts of Europe, as 
well as in the Island of Arran, from which circum¬ 
stance it is given in all books as a British tree. The 
flowers are sweet scented like those of the last 
named, and the deep red fruits are similar but 
larger. The tree grows to the height of 15 ft. to 
25 ft., forming with age a broad spreading head of a 
very ornamental character. 
Strawberry tree, and constituting an additional 
recommendation to the flowers and fruit. It may 
be grown in the shrubbery or as an isolated specimen 
upon the lawn. 
P. spectabilis. — This Chinese Crab is one of the 
most conspicuous of all while in bloom owing to the 
flowers being semidouble, and produced in great 
profusion during April and May in average or 
ordinary seasons. The petals are of a brilliant red 
v.hile in bud, becoming paler as they expand, and 
when fully opened are of a pale purple or pink 
Tneir great size and the numbers produced give a 
tree a rich appearance. The tree varies from 20 ft. 
to 30 ft. in height, and as far through when under 
favourable conditions and allowed to attain those 
dimensions. In most places, however, it grows slowly 
and may be kept within reasonable bounds by 
judicious pruning, that is by the removal of the more 
rampant growing shoots. This, however, is seldom 
required. As an isolated 
specimen on the grass, it 
would be hard to beat for 
its beauty and handsome 
effect in spring. 
P. Aucuparia. — The 
Mountain Ash has been a 
amiliar object in old 
fashioned gardens from a 
remote period, but at the 
present day is more 
neglected than it ought 
to be. Comparativelylittle 
attention is given to it 
when in bloom owing to 
the amount of competition 
from various other trees 
and shrubs in flower at 
that time. The blossom is 
creamy-white and freely 
produced in large corymbs 
or flat topped trusses, to 
be followed in autumn by 
similar bunches of dark 
red fruits. The beauty of 
a well furnished tree at 
that time cannot be over¬ 
estimated; and,seeing that 
it flowers and fruits in 
quite a small state and 
even in smoky towns, the 
wonder is that so few cul¬ 
tivators and planters take 
it into their consideration. 
There is an old variety 
of it with yellow fruits, 
but it is probably all but 
lost to cultivation; and 
also a weeping variety 
with pendulous branches. 
P. Aria. — The White 
Beam Tree, like the White 
Poplar, becomes a con¬ 
spicuous object in the 
landscape when the foli¬ 
age is ruffled by a breeze of 
wind, so that the snowy 
under-surface is brought 
into view. The whole tree, 
however, has a hoary 
appearance, more especially in spring and early 
summer, while some varieties are more conspicuous 
in this respect than others. The species is very 
variable both as to the shape, size and division of 
the leaves. The fruit in the more typical form is 
red, but in other cases it is orange or almost yellow'. 
Some varieties are quite dwarf, forming bushes, but 
as a rule the White Beam Tree attains a height of 
30 ft. to 40 ft. It should therefore be relegated to 
the pleasure grounds or parks, where it may be 
planted amongst others forming clumps, or singly. 
Trees here and there along the sides of avenues or 
drives, also serve to lighten up the landscape. 
-- 
The Hull and East Riding Cnrysanthemum Society s 
schedule of prizes has just been issued, and is on the 
usual liberal scale. The two leading classes, viz,, 
for twenty-four blooms of incurved and Japanese 
respectively, have 1st prizes of £10 and a five guinea 
silver cup in each; and for a group not exceeding 
100 square feet, a challenge cup value twenty guineas 
and £6 are offered. The exhibition will take place 
on November 16th and 17th. 
P. Malus floribunda. —Many names are given 
to this Pyrus, including P. floribunda and Malus 
microcarpa floribunda ; but whatever name may be 
given it there can be no disputing of the fact of its 
highly ornamental character during the month of 
May when nature everywhere is putting on her sum¬ 
mer dress. Besides this use in the shrubbery or 
pleasure ground, it also submits readily to forcing, 
and appears as floriferous then as in the open ground, 
and the flowers are almost as highly coloured. It 
presents no difficulty in forcing to be in flower by the 
beginning of April, but the heat necessary to flower 
it earlier would probably cause the flowers to be 
short lived and poor in colour owing to the relative 
absence cf light at that season. Being of dwarf 
stature, it may be considered a shrub rather than a 
tree, with a mass of slender, twiggy shoots, which 
gives it an imposing appearance when in bloom owing 
to the profusion of flower buds. It comes from 
Pyrus Malus floribunda. 
Japan, from whence so many hardy flowering trees 
and shrubs have been obtained for the decoration of 
our gardens. The leaves are small, oblong-lanceo¬ 
late, bluntly toothed, and thickly set in tufts on the 
numerous, short, spur-like branches. The flowers 
are relatively large when fully expanded, and heavily 
tinted with rosy-red upon the back, while they appear 
of an intense red or almost crimson while yet in the 
bud, so that they are very conspicuous from the time 
the buds swell up till the petals drop. The floriferous 
nature of this beautiful shrub may be gleaned by 
reference to our illustration of a spray prepared 
from a forced specimen. 
P. arbutifolia. —The Choke-berry, as it is called, 
is a native of North America and forms a shrub 
varying from 2 ft. to 10 ft. in height, but is usually 
seen as a low spreading bush. The flowers are white 
or tinted with purple and are succeeded by small red 
or purple fruits. May and June are the months in 
which it blooms, so that it forms a succession to 
those which flower earlier. The leaves are oblong 
or obovate, finely serrated, and of a dark shining 
green colour resembling those of the Arbutus or 
