103 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 11, 1887. 
Nearly all the houses are span-roofed structures, and 
the Tomatoes are planted in rows across, leaving a path 
down the centre, and trained vertically towards the roof, 
supported by stakes. Sufficient space is left between the 
rows for a workman to pass between them, and thus easily 
be able to attend to the requirements of each plant. The 
first vinery we entered is a lean-to, 630 feet in length, and 
is devoted to early Grapes—Black Hamburghs principally, 
all the fruit being cut at the time of my visit, 16th July. 
This house was planted seventeen years ago, and after 
bearing heavy crops for that period the Vines were cut 
down, and have again developed canes of superior quality 
and regularity throughout the house. As an illustration of 
the express speed with which Mr. Bashford conducts his 
operations, I may mention that the next house we enter is 
a span roof, 350 feet in length by 44 in width, and 20 in 
height; Mr. Bashford commenced to build this house last 
March, on the 16th of July the body of this house was 
filled with grand Tomato plants in full bearing—hundred¬ 
weights of fruit being picked out of it twice or three times 
a week; and young Vines planted at the sides had nearly 
reached half way up the roof of the house. The Tomato 
chiefly grown is a hybrid between Trophy and Conqueror; 
the bulk of the fruit is of beautiful form and appearance, 
and they vary from half a pound to a pound and a quarter 
in weight. 
Of all the glass structures on the premises only one 
house is devoted to other than Grapes and Tomatoes, 
and this one structure is planted principally with Cucum¬ 
bers and several Melons. Wonderful as is Mr. Bash- 
ford’s success with Grapes and Tomatoes, he is not less so 
with Cucumbers and Melons. Cucumbers of large size 
were hanging in that house by hundreds; and Melons— 
Hero of Bath—are represented by specimens from 6 lbs. 
to 7i lbs. in weight. The variety of Cucumber grown is 
called Star of the West. 
The next house is 104 feet in length, and is filled with 
luxuriant Vines, each plant carrying an average of ten 
bunches, and each bunch averaging 2 lbs.; all Gros Col- 
man. The Vines are planted 2 feet 4 inches apart, and as 
the house is a span-roof your readers can try to picture 
it to themselves. The next house we enter is similar in 
all respects to the above; but we now come to a span- 
roofed house 890 feet in length, and this is entirely planted 
with Gros Colman, every Vine being in similar condition to 
those previously specified, and bearing equal quantity and 
quality of fruit; this alone will be a sight in September 
and October worth going hundreds of miles to see. It 
must not be supposed that because these structures are of 
such immense length that therefore they must be low, 
narrow, squat-looking places; far from it, they are sub¬ 
stantially built, wide, and lofty houses; such as would do 
credit to the best private gardens in the kingdom. 
Now we enter a house parallel to the last, but not 
quite so long; it is between 700 and 800 feet long, and is 
occupied entirely with Tomatoes. But there have been two 
crops of Potatoes gathered out of the same house pre¬ 
viously, one crop at Christmas, and the second crop in 
March; and in July the house was filled with Tomatoes 
in full bearing. That is the way to make market garden¬ 
ing pay. The Tomatoes are planted in rows 3 feet apart, 
and the plants are 2 feet 3 inches apart in the rows. 
Another house is entirely devoted to Gros Colman, and 
on entering house after house of this variety—seeing it 
growing literally in tons—it is not difficult to understand 
how it comes that Covent Garden Market is kept so well 
supplied with this variety of Grape, especially when we 
remember that Mr. Bashford is only one of many who 
“go in’’for this variety for market purposes. Another 
house, between 700 and 800 feet long, is at present occu¬ 
pied with Tomatoes, but it is intended to devote it entirely 
to the production of Muscat Grapes; and seeing that 
Muscats realise such a good price from Christmas to the 
end of April, it is likely to prove a very profitable 
house. 
These notes are the result of observations taken 
during a hasty inspection of this remarkable establishment 
but to do it full justice would require an entire number of 
the Journal, a day’s careful inspection, and a pocket-book 
full of notes ; and as I have already encroached consider¬ 
ably upon the valuable space of the Journal, I will close 
these notes by remarking that Mr. Bashford provides as 
good and efficient accommodation for his Grapes whem 
bottled as he does for their production. If my memory 
has not failed me, the Grape-room will hold about 18,000 
bunches of Grapes; and as I have previously stated 
that the average weight of the bunches is about 2 lbs., 
your readers can compute for themselves how many tons 
of Grapes there are in the room when it is full. 
Immense boilers are used for the purpose of heating 
the houses when necessary; and the “Keith ” boiler has. 
a mile of piping attached to it. Water is pumped by 
steam power to the top of a water tower, from whence it 
is distributed through all the houses; and it is very 
evident that it is used with no niggardly hand; and had 
I required any evidence to convince me that Vines in 
suitable soil, and with proper natural or artificial drain¬ 
age, required an abundance of water, that evidence would 
have been unmistakeably found at Morley House. 
I am much indebted to Mr. Bashford for his kind¬ 
ness in permitting me to see his magnificent graperies 
and tomateries—if I may coin a word—and also for his 
courtesy in personally conducting me, and the pains ho 
took to show me everything likely to be of interest.— 
J. Udale, Eford, Tamworth. 
STRAWBERRIES IN 1887. 
I was pleased to read the remarks at page 7(3 on flavour of 
Strawberries. It is also satisfactory to read about the good 
qualities of Loxford Hall Seedling, raised by me about fourteen 
years ago. I raised about 300 seedlings, the result of careful 
hybridisation, and Loxford Hall was the only one sent out. I 
would not like to have my name attached to a bad variety of a 
flower or fruit, and yet when one reads the remarks of some 
gardeners it seems that this Strawberry is a failure. One of oar 
leading gardeners wrote in a contemporary that Loxford Hall 
Seedling was not worth growing. He had tried it for three years, 
and it never produced a flower. “ S. C.” describes it very well. 
The plant was raised from Frogmore Late Pine, crossed with a 
continental variety named La Constante, popular at the time. It 
is our latest Strawberry, produces a dwarf plant, but bears very 
freely. I have never seen a plant of it that did not bear fruit 
freely. _ _ . 
Nearly all our Strawberries have been inferior this year. The 
excessive heat dried up the juices before the fruits were ripe. We 
place round each plant some sprays cut from the tops of the Pea 
sticks ; the fruit hangs over these, and never touches the surface 
of the ground. None of it is eaten with any of the numerous 
creeping things which prey upon fruits lying on the surface of the 
ground, and it ripens perfectly all round. This season it turned up 
in a way it has never done before during a period of twenty-five 
years. They were twice drenched with water, as well as being 
mulched with decayed manure to prevent evaporation. We still 
grow Black Prince and Keens’ Seedling as our best earliest varieties, 
followed by President, Sir Joseph Paxton, and W. F. Radclyffe. The 
last-named we grow as being more robust in constitution than 
British Queen. Frogmore Late Pine and Loxford Hall Seedling 
are our latest. A new variety sent out by Messrs. Veitch of Chelsea, 
named Waterloo, promises to be distinct in character, and it is also 
very late. The fruit is of the largest size, excellent in flavour, and 
of a reddish purple colour. We also tried Laxton’s King of the 
Earlies. It promises to be a free-bearing variety, but was not any 
