December 10, 1904. 
The Gardening World 
MOTTO FOR THE WEEK: 
Sometimes I lurk in a gossip’s bowl in very likeness of a roasted Crab.”— Shakespeare. 
Weekly Prize 
FOR 
Short Articles. 
The Proprietors of The Gardening World 
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THE BEST PARAGRAPH, Or SHORT ARTICLE, sent 
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The following Coloured 
Plates have appeared in 
recent numbers:— 
July 4.—APHELANDRA AURANTIACA 
ROEZLII. 
August 1.— BORONIA HETEROPHYLLA. 
September 12 -SIX NEW DAFFODILS. 
October 3— LILIUM AURATUM PLA- 
TYPHYLLUM SHIRLEY VAR. 
Novembei 14. — ROSE MME. N. LEVA- 
VASSEUR. 
January 2.— HYBRID TEA-SCENTED 
ROSE IRENE. 
January 30. — TUBEROUS BEGONIA 
COUNTESS OF WARWICK. 
February 27.— A FINE STRAIN OF 
GLOXINIAS. 
Apri l 2 . — WISTARIA MULTIJUGA 
RUSSELLIANA. 
May 7. —CACTUS DAHLIA DAINTY. 
June 4.— CACTUS DAHLIA SPITFIRE. 
July 16.— ROSE LADY BATTERSEA. 
October 1. — GEUM HELDREICHI 
SUPERBUM. 
October 15.— ROSE HUGH DICKSON. 
Back numbers may be obtained from the 
publishers, price 2£d. post free. 
This week we present a Half-tone 
Plate ot 
CHRYSANTHEMUM W. GOODING. 
Next week we shall give a Half-tone 
Plate of 
CHRYSANTHEMUM PRINCESS 
MAFALDA. 
The prize last week in the Readers’ 
Competition was awarded to “ J. W. J.” 
for his article on “Epiphyllnms,” 
p. 976. 
Views and Reviews. 
Ornamental Crab Apples. 
The fruits which are hanging at the pre¬ 
sent, time on, several oif the Crab Apples will 
remind planters of their decorative value in 
the landscape. While some of the Crabs 
with their species, artificially-raised varieties 
or hybrids, are valuable for their fruits n 
the autumn and winter; all might be de¬ 
scribed as more or less of an ornamental 
character during April and May when in 
flower. At the same time some of them 
stand out pre-eminently either a,t one time 
or the other. Certain of them fruit very 
irregularly if they fruit at all; then it must 
follow that they are chiefly valuable for the 
sake of their blossom in spring. All of them, 
but particularly the early flowering ones, 
are liable to have their blossoms destroyed, 
or at least thei seed-bearing portion of it, 
owing to late frosts in spring just like the 
Apple in this country. Even the wild Crabs 
seem to be subject to periods of unfruitful- 
nesis, just like their garden relatives. 
The present is certainly the most, appro¬ 
priate time for planting ornamental trees of 
this character, and while we remember that 
certain people prefer to plant Apple trees on 
their lawns for the sake of thei usable fruit 
it may be stated in connection with Crabs 
that several of them supply fruit that is use¬ 
ful for making jam, jelly or other preserves, 
while some of them at, least prove acceptable 
on the dessert table on account of their brisk 
or piquant flavour and pretty appearance. 
They, at least, serve to give variety on, the 
dessert table. Many of them are also largely 
employed for the decoration of the exhibition 
table in connection with exhibits of Apples 
and Pears. As a rule they are out chiefly in 
the form of sprays for this purpose, because 
more effective. Others again have large and 
hdghly J ooloured fruits, which are gathered 
and used for decorating colleictions of fruit. 
The Crabsi in cultivation are now very 
numerous and offer great difficulties in the 
matter of classification,, and as a rule horti¬ 
culturists and botanists are at variance in 
the matter of names and method of classifi¬ 
cation, This is, chiefly due to thei very large 
number of forms which occur in a wild state 
and are given specific rank. This' we con¬ 
sider the best method of dealing with them 
when they furnish characters by which they 
can be distinguished. At the same time a 
large number of them so closely resemble 
the Apple In one form or other that they get 
classified under Pyrus Malus, the name given 
by botanists to the common Crab in the 
widest sense of the term. 
The facilities for crossing them artificially 
are so 'great that advantage has been taken 
of this circumstance to raise numbers of large 
fruiting Crabs for ornamental purposes, as 
well as for the production of cider. It, ;s 
also recorded that Mr. Andrew Knight used 
one of the Siberian Crabs (P. prunifolia) in 
the crossing of Apples to produce many of 
those that he considered worthy of cultiva- 
tiiom. His object was largely to get trees of 
a hardy character, and in this respect he suc¬ 
ceeded. He is scarcely likely to be followed 
by modern raisers, whose chief attention is 
given to the production of larger fruits than 
are likely to be obtained by using so small a 
fruiting species asi one of the parents. 
Besides the use of the Crabs for out-door 
planting, there is an increasing tendency to 
flower a number of them in pots, so as to 
get the benefit of them in the conservatory 
earlier than, out of doors. P. floribunda and 
P. Scheddeckeri are most commonly em¬ 
ployed for this purpose, no doubt on account 
of their dwarf habit and easy accommoda¬ 
tion. Some of thei later flowering varieties, 
but, particularly the double forms of the 
Chinese Crab (P. spectabilis), Bechtel’s Crab, 
and the double Garland Crab' (P. coronaria 
florei pleno), might be worked upon the 
Paradise stock and employed for indoor use, 
a,s the blossom does not -drop -so quickly as 
in the case of the thinner-petalled single 
flowers previously named. 
Thei most common of all in gardens and 
grounds is the Flowering Crab (P. floribunda) 
on account of its- general utility, either in 
the shrubberies, asi isolated trees on the 
grass, or for forcing purposes. The tree in 
naturally of dwarf habit, 15 ft, being the 
limit, though it will flower while yet in the 
form of a very small b-ush. The flowers are 
.bright red in bud, becoming' paler as they 
expand, and are -produced in immense 
numbers, owing to the slender, twiggy, and 
much branched character of the bush. The 
variety P.f. atrosanguinea, has dark crimson 
flowers, and finds acceptance with many on 
account of the rich colour. The fruits vary 
from red to ' ell-ow, and are not much larger 
than a large Marrowfat Pea, The yellow- 
fruited variety is sometimes named P.f. 
fructu flavo'. The calyx falls away as a rule, 
leaving the fruit like a miniature Cherry. 
