Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-12-29
What Is a Crab Apple 7

What Is a Crab Apple
Some Of our exchanges are discussing this
question, and seem to he somewhat muddled
in their minds about IT, This arises from
want of knowing, or rejecting, that the
word crab" in common language, has no
single, distinct meaning. Botanically, a
crab.apple is wild apple. Of these, there
are number Of species, the best known of
which are;
1-Fuiopean Crab. .............Y... Pyrw Mdlus
2Sibcran Crab. ..............P grus Bdccdto
3-American Crab. ............P yrus Corondrid
l-Narrow-leavcd Crab. .Pyrus AngusiJoiid
The last two are both American crabs !
the first Of these being the common wild
crab of the Northern, and the last Of the
more Southern states. Pww Corondrid is,
however, found South as well a. North.
Pyrts lIaius is the wild form of our COM
mon apple. The above are the crabs, bo-
maicaHy speaking. But pomology recog-
nizes as a crab any small sour apple, suited
for cider-making, such as Hughes Virginia
Coat" and others.
There has lately arisen a third application
Of the word, whichmay be called the nursery
mans, orchardist's aud fruit-dealer's use
Of it. The Siberian and American crabs,
having come under cultivation chiefly as
ornamental trees, and their seeds being
planted, there has sprung from them (but
chiefly from the former) a class Of apples
differing from any other class, and differ
ing considerably also, among themselves.
It is well understood that when wild fruits
are subjected to cultivation they soon show
tendency to sport" as it is called--that
is, to change their quality, size, color, etc,
generally for the better. Sometimes this
"sporting occurs only on a single limb.
II is then called " bud variation" aud may
be pcrpctunted by budding or grating from
that limb But usually the sporting oc-
ours from The seed, and the product, If bet
ter than the original wild fruit, is called an
" improved sort, aud if from a crab apple,
an " improved crab This improvement
may be due solely to the change induced 10y
cultivation or it may be caused by cross
ing with some already improved apple Of the
same or another species This " crossing '
is the result of the application of pollen
from the flower OF the improved to the
stigma Of the flower OF the wild sort. II
the two belong to the same species (both
Pyrls uaias for instance, but one the wild
and the other the improved fruit, then the
new apple that springs from the seed is a
true cross" But if the new Seeding re-
suited from the mixture of two distinct spe
cies (PW1N Bdcca'a, for instance, with Pyrin
! MaiuO, then the fruit Of the Seeding is
called " hybrid just as a mule is a hybrid
between the horse and the ass, or as hybrid,
are produced between the dog and the wolf
or the fox. Pollen may be carried from one
tree to another by insects, by the wind, or
Intentionally, by man, for the purpose Of
improvement
These uurssrynlu's crabs are becom
ing very numerous. and are distinguished
/ 10y wide differences. Some are but little ad
yauced from the wild FORMS while Other.
have been SO euuobled " that they hay,
lost all, or nearly all the peculiar character
| istics of their wild ancestry. About all tn,
best known apples Of this class have sprung
from the Siberian Crab, as the female, OF
seed-bearing parent though few, such as
the Soularl, are Of American stock.
The calling of all these new hybrids OF TIA,