272 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 24, 1885. 
Editor for identification ; also samples of Diamond, one of the parents of 
Self-help, now only partially ripe, although from a bush fully exposed to 
he south. As the Committee decided that Self-help was not so good as 
that variety, but here Diamond is the latest of the three, and quite a 
fortnight later than Self-help grown under similar conditions, and there¬ 
fore the comparison is scarcely a fitting one. Mr. Eivers seems to think 
that the practice of sending specimens for comparison a reprehensible 
one. I had always thought there was a general invitation to exhibitors 
at the Eoyal Horticultural Society Committees to do so, but on reference 
to the regulations I find it comes only from the Floral Committee. I have 
seen the practice followed, and it seemed to me an instructive one, and it 
was with this view I sent Grand Duke in good faith for comparison to the 
Fruit Committee. 
Mr. Eivers’ letter raises a question whether it might not be desirable 
for the Committees, at their option, when exhibitors are willing, either 
personally or by letter, to furnish information as to their production, to 
allow the same to be furnished. A point of importance might sometimes 
be cleared up and a satisfactory conclusion arrived at.— Thomas 
Laxton. 
[The fruit of Grand Duke received from Mr. Laxton was “ dead ripe,” 
and with the exception of one Plum was completely smashed in the car¬ 
riage, so that it was impossible to judge of it. The shoots and foliage 
sent were not good specimens, and it was with difficulty we could judge 
whether the shoots were downy or smooth. To us they appeared to be 
smooth, whereas those of Grand Duke are downy. The flesh of the fruit 
was all but free, and that of Grand Duke is firmly adherent.] 
SHOWY AUTUMN PLANTS. 
At this time of the year of all others, when the majority of 
our bright-coloured border plants are on the wane, is the growers’ 
time to look out for plants that will keep up the succession and 
extend the flowering season as far into the autumn as possible. 
Many plants are here and there in cultivation, though not by any 
means generally, that are suited for the above purpose; but 
unfortunately tastes differ to such an extent that the tall Asters 
admired by a few are passed over as unworthy of notice by 
others. Then Pentstemons may be mentioned, many of which 
are now in full beauty, reminding us of the rapid advances made 
by the hybridiser and selecter within the last few years. Lark¬ 
spurs, too, have undergone a similar change, and with the French 
varieties now becoming common we may represent every shade 
of blue and purple, from almost black to the most delicate tinge. 
It is, perhaps, not generally that these by a little management 
may be had to flower at almost any time from June until the 
frosts set in about the middle or end of October. They may be 
raised in the spring from seed, when by good treatment and 
liberal feeding the plants will flower all through the autumn 
months, or, again, when old-established plants have made about 
half their growth they be cut down they will also flower in the 
autumn, and indeed with a little experience, other circumstances 
considered, the grower can have them to flower at the time he is 
most in need of their assistance in making his beds and borders 
attractive. The very early flowering sorts may also be utilised 
in giving a second crop of flowers by cutting the stems off as 
soon as they have flowered. They will shoot up again, and though 
not so strong give a fairly good show, which is all that is wanted 
of them. Of course these second crops necessitate good treat¬ 
ment, but it is worth trying for, besides removing unsightly 
stems from an otherwise cheery flower border. Antirrhinums 
though past their best give hope of holding out for a few weeks 
longer, owing also to this judicious cutting-back process; indeed, 
it only wants a beginning and the grower will find that he can 
utilise many plants for second crops in this way. 
Geranium Wallichii is now in its full beauty, and an extremely 
useful plant it is for the hardy border; no drought seems to 
incapacitate it for yielding its annual supply of pretty blooms, 
and in localities where success is attained with Lilies, L. splendens 
and its varieties will help in a very large measure to brighten the 
border. Given the necessary soil, with free drainage, a little shade 
for the bulbs, and plenty of water during the growing season, 
and this Lily will amply repay all extra trouble involved in 
getting it properly established. Anemone japonica and its 
varieties should also form part of even small collections. It 
grows well in almost any border, and its free-flowering habit 
should not fail to make it a general favourite. There are three 
colours—white, pink, and rose, the first being extremely chaste 
and beautiful; the pink, which has larger flowers, is also desirable, 
and to see these plants as we saw them the other day in the form 
of isolated specimens a yard through, it might almost make us 
come to the conclusion to grow nothing else for autumn decora¬ 
tion, but we want variety. Rudbeckia speciosa or Newmanni is 
a species of great beauty, and one that has attracted much atten¬ 
tion of late. It is undoubtedly a fine plant and will play an 
important part in the bedding of the future. A large bed of the 
Anemone edged with Rudbeckia is strikinglypretty—a permanent 
bed that does not require renewing every spring; a bed you can 
enjoy, and with no more trouble than clearing away the dead 
stems in autumn, adding a little fresh feeding every spring. 
Such beds, too, can be gay early in spring with Crocuses, 
Tulips, and Hyacinths without injury to either, and later with 
Gladiolus, giving a succession until the other plants are ready to 
keep up the display.—D. R. 
WORDSLEY AND KINYER. 
During a few days devoted to a horticultural ramble in the midlands 
this summer, I found myself within a convenient distance of Stourbridge, 
and the occasion seemed so opportune for paying a long-anticipated visit 
to a certain widely famed seed firm in that neighbourhood, that I deter¬ 
mined to take advantage of it, and spend a day on the farms. For glass 
and pottery Stourbridge and the adjoining Wordsley have long been cele¬ 
brated, but horticulturally they were of no importance until Messrs. 
Webb & Sons established the head-quarters of their seed business there, 
and since then for that fact alone they have become familiar to farmers 
and gardeners in most English-speaking countries. In the immediate 
neighbourhood there is little else of gardening interest, if we except 
Enville Hall on one side of Stourbridge, and Hagley, about an equal 
distance on the other side. But as my chief object was to see Messrs. 
Webbs’ establishment, I proceeded at once to their 
OFFICES AND SEED WAREHOUSES, WORDSLEY. 
These are situated near the main road in Wordsley, and though pre¬ 
pared to see something extensive, I was astonished at the huge buildings 
occupied for this purpose, and the abundant evidence their contents 
afforded of an enormous business. The principal building is 180 feet 
long by 60 feet wide, and has five floors, another more recently erected 
being of nearly the same dimensions, and having an equal number of 
floors. These are devoted to the different departments, thus a large space 
is occupied with the flower seeds ; the garden vegetable seeds form 
another, bulbs another, cereals also have a large space devoted to them, 
then the general farm steds, such as root crops and grasses, in all of which 
a most extensive trade is carried on. Potatoes, too, have a floor appro¬ 
priated to them for many tons of “ seed tubers ” are annually supplied 
from there, while Hops and wool, which are also branches of this diver¬ 
sified business, occupy a considerable proportion of one floor. It should 
be mentioned that these floors are all fitted with lifts, and in one part is 
a series of seed-cleaning machines of great importance, those devoted to 
seed corn being constructed on an improved system invented by Messrs. 
Webb & Sons, and are found to perform their work in a perfectly satis¬ 
factory manner. The value of thoroughly clean seeds can scarcely be 
overestimated, and the attention given to the matter by the members of 
the firm has met with well-deserved success. In an upper floor of the new 
warehouse we come to what might be termed the “ theatrical lumber 
room” of the firm, for there the handsome stands are prepared which are 
seen at all the important agricultural shows in Great Britain, and which 
necessitate the constant employment of numerous carpenters, painters, and 
decorators. This department is doubly interesting, reflecting as it does to 
some extent the widely spreading character of the trade, and the enter¬ 
prise brought to bear upon its maintenance and advancement. It is, 
indeed, a sign of the times. 
The offices occupy a third building of great size; they are most 
systematically and conveniently arranged, permitting the multifarious 
details of such an enormous business being carried out with accuracy and 
dispatch, both essential to the satisfactory management of a concern like 
this. Large numbers of clerks are employed, and the manager of each 
department has a room in communication with the heads of the firm, 
who take an active part in the superintendence. There is also a house 
where grass and other seeds are tried, and with workshops of various 
kinds, stables, &c., completes an establishment that is in all respects 
wonderful. 
THE SEED FARMS, KINVER. 
But so far only the head-quarters had been inspected, and as a visit to 
the seed farms and trial grounds was equally desirable I was placed in 
the care of a genial, intelligent guide, and conveyed to Kinver as rapidly 
as our well-fed but meditative steed could be induced to travel. Fortu¬ 
nately plenty of time was allowed for a full enjoyment of the scenery, 
and a good portion of the four or five miles after Wordsley is left is 
decidedly pretty, especially when approaching Kinver, as there the road 
gradually ascends, at some parts through a deep cutting in the red 
sandstone of the district, with tall trees completely arching over the 
road, and at others commanding extensive views of an undulating and 
finely wooded country. It is, however, from Kinver Edge that the 
grandest views are obtained over many miles of Staffordshire and adjoin¬ 
ing counties, a landscape which can only be equalled in this part of 
England by the prospect from the Malvern Hills. The seed farm* 
occupy 1600 acres on the slope and around the Kinver Hill, which rises 
to and terminates in the precipice-like “ Edge.” The greater part of 
this land is Messrs. Webbs’ freehold, being used chiefly as trial grounds 
or for raising stocks of new varieties, to be afterwards, with the bulk of 
the seeds required in the business, grown on land in various parts of 
England and the Continent, engaged for this purpose by the firm and 
under their personal supervision a3 to “ rogueing.” In this way it is 
estimated that over 15,000 acres are employed—an extraordinary total, the 
yield of which in weight of seeds could scarcely be calculated. _ One 
great advantage of this system is that the most suitable land for particular 
