252 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c September u, m 2 
Court Grapes, large Lord Palmerston Peaches, and fair Pitmaston 
Orange Nectarines, good Williams’ Bon Chretien Pears and Brown 
Turkey Figs, with small Green Gage Plums. Mr. Goldsmith, Sand¬ 
hills, Bletchingley, was second with large hut green Muscats, good 
Alicantes, a large Melon, and fair dishes of smaller fruits. Mr. Miles, 
Wycombe Abbey, was placed third with the ripest fruit of all, but 
generally wanting in size. Judged by the palate alone this collection 
would have had a higher position. 
Grapes. —Collection of ten kinds, six black and four white. Mr. 
T oberts of Gunnersbury was distinctly first with a creditable collec¬ 
tion. Alicantes excellently finished, Buckland Sweetwater well 
ripened, Muscats good, Muscat Hamburgh, fine bunches but irre¬ 
gular berries ; Madresfield Court, excellent berries ; Tokey, large ; Aln¬ 
wick Seedling, very fine indeed ; Foster’s Seedling, small berries ; and 
good Black Hamburghs comprised the collection. Mr. Goodacre was 
a close second, Venn’s Muscat being good, as also were Madresfield 
Court, Cannon Hall Muscat, Gros Colman, and Alicantes ; but many 
of the berries were rubbed. In the class for five bunches there were 
that number of competitors, Mr. Allan, gardener to Lord Suffield, 
Gunton Park, being first with Alnwick Seedling, good ; fine bunches 
of Chatsvvorth Seedling, the berries resembling Madresfield Court but 
smaller ; Gros Colman, and Muscat of Alexandria. Mr. Coleman was 
second, all the varieties being black. The notable bunches were 
Black Morocco full and fine, with Alicante, Lady Downes, Madres¬ 
field Court, and Black Hamburghs all good. Mr. Elphinstone, gar¬ 
dener to E. Miller Mundy, Esq., Shipley Hall, Derby, had the third 
position, his Grapes not being ripe. 
Mr. Coleman was first in the class for three bunches of Black Ham¬ 
burgh, large (4 lbs.), with splendid and well-coloured berries. Mr. 
Holmes, gardener to T. Wallis, Esq., Sister House, Clapham Common, 
followed with medium-sized good-shaped bunches and fine berries. 
Mr. Herrin, gardener to J. W. Hibbert, Esq., Chalfont Park, Bucks, 
was a close third. Mr. E. Hill, gardener to Sir N. M. Rothschild, 
Tring Park, was clearly first in the Muscat class with large, full, 
ripe, well-shaped bunches ; Mr. Johnson, Lamberhurst, Sussex, being 
seccnd with large unripe examples ; followed by Mr. Smith, gardener 
to W. H. Sewell, Esq., Warren Hill, Longton, Essex, with “lumpy” 
bunches but good berries. Mr. Goodacre staged small bunches, but 
with good well-coloured berries of Gros Colman, and secured the first 
prize ; Mr. Holmes following with very small examples. In the Ma- 
dresfield Court class Mr. Wallis was placed first of the six competitors 
with 2-lb. well-filled bunches and good ripe berries ; Mr. Herrin being 
second with much larger bunches, and Mr. Goodacre an extremely 
close third. Only the first-prize Grapes were ripe in this class. Seven 
collections of Alicsnies were staged ; Mr. Howe, gardener to H. Tate, 
Esq., Streatham Common, being placed first with undoubtedly the 
best examples, said to have been cut from a Vine bearing a hundred 
bunches. Mr. Herrin and Mr. Elphinstone had the remaining prizes 
in this class, their productions being of nearly equal merit, but not 
ripe. It is noticeable that several of the white Grapes in the classes 
were shown on pink paper, which appeared to display them to the 
best advantage. 
Pines. —For one Queen Mr. Coleman was first with a good well- 
ripened fruit; Mr. Ford, gardener to Earl Cowper, Wrest Park, 
second ; and Mr. Bailey, gardener to J. T. Drake, Esq., Shardeloes, 
third. The display of Pines was limited, several in the Show being 
of inferior quality. 
Peaches. —For three dishes Mr. Roberts was placed first with Belle- 
garde, Barrington, and Belle Bauce, all of good average size and well 
coloured. Mr. Oclee was second with Princess of Wales, Barrington 
(small), and Newington ; and Mr. Miles third with Early Crawford, 
Bellegarde, and Late Admirable. Mr. Coleman would have been first 
in this class had he not inadvertently staged two dishes of the same 
variety. Seven collections were staged, but many fruits were small. 
For one dish Mr. Coleman was first with Bellegarde, splendid; Mr. 
Roberts second with Barrington ; and Mr. Holliday, gardener to 
James Norris, Esq., Bletchingley, third. Eleven dishes were staged. 
Nectarines. —For three dishes Mr. Coleman was an easy winner 
with Lord Napier, Stanwick Elruge, and Elruge, all very fine; Mr. 
Elphinstone and Mr. Goldsmith, Hollanden, Tonbridge, following as 
named with creditable examples. For one dish Mr. Coleman was 
again first with beautiful examples of Elruge, Mr. Oclee being second, 
and Mr. Richards, gardener to the Earl of Normanton, Somerby 
Ringwood, third, both with Pitmaston Orange. 
Melons. —In the green-fleshed class Mr. Herrin was first with Hero 
of Lockinge. Mr. Knellar, Malshanger Park, second with an un¬ 
named fruit resembling Golden Perfection ; and Mr. George, Putney 
Heath, third with Hero of Surrey, all staging good examples. Fifteen 
fruits were placed in competition in this class. Ten were submitted 
in the scarlet-fleshed class ; Mr. Herrin, and Mr. Barker, Hindlip 
Hall, being first and second with good fruits of Blenheim Orange and 
Mr. Bailey third with Victory of Bristol. 
Plums. —Twelve collections were staged in the class for three dishes ; 
Mr. Fay, gardener to L. J. Baker, Esq., Haydon Hall, Pinner, being 
first with Emperor, Transparent Gage, and Belgian Purple—all goocf. 
Mr. Goodacre second with Washington, Jefferson, and Transparent 
Gage, the last-named very fine ; and Mr. Coleman third with Kirke’s, 
Emperor, and Jefferson—all good dishes. For a dish of Green Gage 
Mr. Fry was first; Mr. Lemmon, gardener to J. Outer Roper, Esq. 
Calcot Gardens, Reading, second with Calcot Green Gage; and Mr! 
Wells, gardener to R. Ravenhill, Esq., Windsor Forest, third with 
Webster’s Green Gage, ten dishes being staged in the class. Fora 
dish of red or purple Plums Mr. Goodacre was first with Pond’s Seed¬ 
ling, very large. Mr. Coombes, gardener to Sir Henry Meux, Bart., 
Sheen House, Surrey, second with the same variety ; and Mr. Wells 
third with Victoria—a good class of eight dishes. The first prize, 
offered by Messrs. Cheal & Son for their new Melons, was awafded to 
Mr. Goldsmith, gardener to Sir W. Farquhar, Bart., Polesden Lacy, 
Dorking, who appeared to be the only exhibitor ; and an extra prize 
of £2 was worthily granted to Mr. Neighbour, gardener to G. Wythes, 
Esq., Bickley Park, Bromley, for a collection of twenty dishes of fruit. 
This completes the classes of a Show which was deci'dedfy inferior.to 
many previous exhibitions we have seen in the Palace. 
Several miscellaneous exhibits covered much space effectively, 
notably a great collection of Apples and Pears from the Waltham 
Cross Nurseries of Messrs. Paul & Son, comprising apparently about 
one hundred varieties of the former and half that number of the 
latter. Messrs. Cheal & Son, Crawley, Sussex, sent forty good dishes 
of Apples and Pears. From Calcot Gardens came twenty-four dishes 
of Apples and eighteen of Nuts. Messrs. Saltmarsh exhibited their 
fine new Apple The Queen ; and Messrs. Atherton of Chatteris sent 
a new seedling Apple of the type of Fearn’s Pippin, but darker in 
colour. 
Mowers were also represented on the side stages, Messrs. Kelway 
staging ninety-six spikes of Gladioli—a fine display; Messrs. Wm. 
Paul & Son ten grand boxes of Roses in about a hundred varieties— 
one of the finest collections of September Roses we have ever seen. 
Excellent boxes of Roses also came from Messrs. Pauls of Cheshunt; 
and Messrs. John Laing & Co. staged a tasteful group of plants, com¬ 
posed largely of splendid varieties of Tuberous Begonias. Thus w r ith 
this Exhibition in one nave and the Dahlia Show in the other the 
company had plenty to admire. The condition of the plants in the 
Palace, too, and their arrangement are very satisfactory, and the flower 
and carpet beds in the grounds highly attractive. 
THE IvINVER SEED FARMS. 
About five miles from the Stourbridge station of the Great Western 
Railway is situated an establishment which possesses considerable 
interest for both agriculturists and horticulturists, as in a compara¬ 
tively few years its productions have rendered the name of Messrs. 
E. Webb & Sons familiar to British farmers and gardeners throughout 
the empire. The district around Kinver is much elevated, diversified, 
and picturesque, some parts being finely wooded, and from Kinver 
Edge, as the highest point is termed, an extensive view of some very 
charming scenery can be obtained upon a clear day. The approach, 
too. from Stourbridge is a most agreeable drive in fine weather, which, 
unfortunately, I was not favoured with ; but even under the depress¬ 
ing influence of a heavy sky and continuous rain it was impossible 
not to be sensible of what might be termed the latent beauty. With 
surroundings so attractive we find the Kinver seed farms occupying 
a space exceeding 1000 acres, open, high, and in every way admirably 
fitted for the purpose to which they are applied, the healthy vigour 
and sturdiness of all the crops well indicating not only the attention 
that is paid to them, but also the suitability of the soil and district 
for ensuring satisfactory produce. It is evident, indeed, in all de¬ 
partments that the great object of .the firm is to secure the confidence 
of their customers by providing them with the best quality obtain¬ 
able, and no efforts are spared that tend to this result. Messrs. 
Webb claim, and apparently with good reason, that they are the 
largest seed-growers in the kingdom, for together with the 1000 acres 
at Kinver, the greater portion of which is their own freehold, we 
are informed they have over 10,000 acres under crops in different 
parts of the country and on the continent; and the immense amount 
of seed raised on so great an extent of land can scarcely be realised, 
though some idea of the magnitude of a business which requires such 
enormous supplies may be gathered from the statement. Everything 
is on a large scale. Specially approved kinds of vegetables or cereals 
are grown by the hundred acres, and on one farm in an adjoining 
county to the head-quarters 400 acres are devoted to Potatoes and 
cereals. Turnips, Mangolds, Peas, and many others are similarly 
provided for, while the flowers for seed form an important depart¬ 
ment that is being rapidly extended. 
To enumerate in detail all that is worthy of note upon the Kinver 
farms alone would require a volume, and will only be possible here 
to briefly glance at the chief features and the most important crops. 
As already indicated, Messrs. Webb pay great attention to the culture 
of cereals, Barley, Wheat, and Oats being largely grown, and some 
of the firm’s selections in each have attained a high position in the 
agricultural world as reliable, prolific, and good quality varieties. 
Of the 153 acres devoted to Barley the principal portion is occupied 
with Kinver Chevalier and New Beardless, both bearing the name of 
this firm as a testimonial of their merit; 137 acres are appropriated 
to Wheat, the most notable varieties of which are “ Webb’s Challenge 
White,” which was awarded the gold medal of France this year, and 
other prizes Selected Golden Drop, Selected Square Head, and of 
Hardcastle—all very promising, together with an Australian Wheat 
of fine quality now being acclimatised. Fifty-two acres of Webb’s 
Challenge White Oats and 70 acres of Webb’s Prolific Black Oats are 
also grown, and other good varieties in addition. 
Turnips, Mangolds, and Swedes form another important feature ; 
Webb’s Imperial Swede, also known as “ the Great Swede,” the 
