“What kind of apple has a short temper?”/“A crab apple.”

Do crab apples really crabby? A pun on the “crab apple” name is:
 
Q: What kind of apple has a short temper?
A: A crab apple.
 
The joke has been cited in print since at least 1976.
 
     
Google Books
Biggest Riddle Book in the World
By Joseph Rosenbloom
Illustrations by Joyce Behr
New York, NY: Sterling Publishing Company, Inc.
1976
Pg. 13:
What kind of apple has a short temper?
A crab apple.
 
6 June 1990, Des Moines (IA) Register, pg. 3T, col. 1:
What kind of apple has a short temper?
A crab apple.
 
27 September 1996, Aberdeen (SD) American News, Farm Forum, pg. 47F, col. 1:
“What kind of apple has a short temper?”
“A Crab Apple.”
   
Twitter
Bollywood Sargam
‏@bollywoodsargam
Apple jokes - 960 Joke: What kind of apple has a short temper?
A crab apple. .... http://bit.ly/2ZYLK
2:53 AM - 28 Aug 2009
 
Google Books
1001 Kid’s Jokes
By Kay Barnham
London: Arcturus Publishing
2016
Pg. ?:
Which type of fruit has the nastiest temper?
A crab apple.
 
Google Books
The World In My Kitchen:
Global Recipes for Kids to Discover and Cook
By Sally Brown and Kate Morris
London: Watkins Media Ltd,
2016
Pg. ?:
What kind of apple has a short temper? A crab apple!
 
Twitter
WilsonsFruit&Veg
‏@wilsonsfruit
Sally from the Deli’s Joke of the Day!
What Kind of Apple has a short temper
A: A Crab Apple
10:18 PM - 14 Jul 2016