Evening star., 1953-06-21

fruit which often make q con.
siderable showing in the fall.
However, the fruit Of some, such
as the Siberian crab (Malus
baccata), usually drop in August
or September. The mature
height Of many Of the varieties
should be given in the catalogue
and may be used as O guide in
selecting. In this connection it.
should be pointed out that most
nurseries carry only q few varie-
ties Of Towering crabs, certainly
not more than q dozen. More
over. the heights to which the
trees may be expected to grow
will be variously reported. de-
pending upon the area where the
nursery Is located. or. more
likely. as shown by some ref
erence book.
Generally. the height Of the
tree will depend not only on the
fertilization provided, but also
on the method Of pruning. Even
q low-growing variety or species
can be pushed upward by re-
moving the lower branches and
forcing the growth at the top.
Also, it might be pointed out that
most nurSerymen, in developing
the Towering crabs, encourage
low-branching. The gardener
desiring to use q Towering crab
as a shade tree should keep re-
moving the lower branches until
the lowest branches are 8 or
10 feet above the ground. In this
way good grass growth beneath
the tree is assured and the limbs
will not interfere with the now
ing.
Remove Side Branches.
Most Of the towering crabs
available have many side
branches and at planting time
most Of them should be either
shortened or removed to encour-
age the formation of O strong
central leader or stem. Open
centers are important in the
production of fruit, but for q
shade tree they are not so de-
sirable. Also, most Of the fiow-
ering crabs tend to be wide.
spreading. Some are noted for
this.
The following taller-growing
varieties and species are the
more commonly listed:
Malus angustifolia, Southern
crab, pink or rose lowers-25
feet.
Malus arnoldiana, Arnold crab.
rose-25 feet.
Malus baccata, Siberian crab.
white-4O feet.
Malus coronaria, sweet crab,
rose to white-30 feet.
HMalus horibunda. snowy crab.
roSe-25 feet.
Malus ioenis, prairie crab,
white howerS-30 #.
Malus micromalus, Kaido crab,
deep pink flowers-25 feet.
Malus spectabilis, snowy crab.
blush pink f1owers-25 feet.
Spring or Fall Planting.
The Towering crab may be
planted either in the spring or
the fall. Generally they are more
readily available in the spring
unless ]oFfered from "A, Northern
nursery. They are tolerant Of
soil. but respond to reasonably
good care. This means planting
in q well-prepared soil. Shallow
cultivation around the trunk is
desirable until the trees are Of
medium size. Mulching may be
substituted for cultivation If that
is desired. Annual feeding, pref
erably in the early spring, is
needed to maintain good growth.
but If the trees seem to be grow
ing tall and Spindly, the fertilizer
should be limited to an applica-
ton Of superphosphate.
The Towering crabs. In COM
mon with most other trees, do
not make their best growth in q
wet soil. Actually, they do best
in one that is deep and loamy, \
but will do reasonably well in our
clays.
AS mentioned above. the fiow-
ering crabapples are subject to
most Of the insects and diseases
that attack apple trees. How
ever, with the exception Of Bech-
tells crab, which is very suscep-
tible to rust, they require no more
spraying and protection than any
other shade tree. If the fruit is
to be used. q regular fruit spray
ing schedule should be followed.
and diseases that attack
the foliage are not especially
troublesome In this area.