September 2 i, 1885. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
273 
crops can be selected, and the best produce is thus insured, well-developed 
and matured seeds of any cultivated plant being a most important step 
towards obtaining satisfactory results either in the farm or garden. To 
cereals many acres are devoted at Kinver ; for instance, there are 
180 acres of.Wheat, comprising a number of Webbs’ choice selections that 
have already proved of great merit, then there are 212 acres of Barley and 
171 acres of Oats. No less than 78 acres are appropriated to Peas, and 
63 acres to Potatoes, but to these reference will again be made, these 
numbers being cited merely to convey an idea of the relative proportions. 
Swedes, Turnips, Mangolds, and many other crops are all largely grown 
for the same purpose. 
The first portion of the trial grounds that we visited was the “ flower ” 
department, where strains of the most popular florist and garden flowers 
are grown for comparison or improvement. In recent years much atten¬ 
tion has been given to this, with the best results, and, as with the vegetables, 
farm crops, &c., careful selections have been made, which now bear the 
name of the firm as a guarantee of their merit. It would be impossible in 
these notes to enumerate all that are thus being tested, but a few of the 
more notable may be referred to. Tropsoolums hold an important position 
in many gardens, and of these there are several handsome varieties, dis¬ 
tinguished by their rich or delicately ooloured flowers, such as King 
Theodore, extremely dark, and the dwarf compact King of Tom Thumb 
straiD, in .which golden yellow, creamy white, and dark scarlet tints 
occur. Mignonette is everyone’s favourite, and a very fine strain has 
been obtained, with long hold spikes of flowers, powerfully fragrant, and 
the latter quality has been found to vary considerably in different strains. 
Such old garden plants as Antirrhinums and Marigolds are similarly 
well represented, while Asters of all the sections and Stocks, too, are as 
beautiful as such plants invariably are when of a good variety and well 
grown. Zinnias have been made a specialty, “Webbs’ Exhibition 
Double’’ having secured much favour in gardens, the flowers being large, 
well formed, bright and varied in colours. The beautiful Chrysanthe¬ 
mum carinatum is largely grown, also C. atrococcineum, Godetias of the 
best varieties, the bright Eschscboltzias, with such well-known plants as 
Verbenas, Polyanthuses, Calliopsis atrosanguineum, C. bicolor, Calendula 
Meteor, Malope grandiflora, Viscarias, Bartonias, Whitlavias, Asperulas, 
Eutocas, Candytuft, and hosts of other annuals, biennials, and perennials. 
All are deserving of praise, for every effort is made to render the selec¬ 
tions thoroughly reliable and of the best quality, and those that I saw 
were good examples of the success that had attended these efforts. When 
large beds of particular varieties are seen as true as possible it is a satis¬ 
factory indication that the labour expended in selection and preservation has 
not been in vain. The popular plants, such as Primulas, Cyclamens, 
Cinerarias, Gloxinias, Begonias, and others are not grown at Kinver, but 
the same care has been exercised elsewhere in their improvement, and 
some highly commendable strains have been secured. 
A most important portion of the routine at Kinver are the annual 
trials of vegetables, to which considerable acreage is fittingly devoted, the 
utmost care being employed in testing and recording the numerous varie¬ 
ties grown. The object of these trials is to permit a ready comparison 
between new and old introductions of each vegetable to prove their re¬ 
spective merits, and to enable the firm to determine what sorts they can 
recommend with confidence. The experiments are thoroughly and fairly 
conducted, the best seed is employed of each variety, they are cultivated in 
precisely the same manner, and the soil being a rich loam it is calculated 
to display the true characters of each to the best advantage. In every 
kind of vegetables Messrs. Webb have selections of their own which they 
test with the others, and in every case it was evident that the former had 
been chosen for substantial and valuable qualities that could not be mis¬ 
taken, proving at once the good judgment of the selectors, and the ad¬ 
vantage of such a mode of comparison as that adopted. To give a detailed 
account of all these trials would fill a volume, such as the Record Book 
kept at the Kinver Farm ; but interesting as that would be, it is far beyond 
the scope of these notes, and I must confine myself to a brief mention of 
the principal crops. Of Cauliflowers forty-eight varieties or strains were 
being tried, but it was rather too early to determine their relative merits, 
though the home selection, Early Mammoth, was showing well, and cer¬ 
tainly justified its title of early. Of Potatoes 500 varieties have been 
tested, but there are not quite so many this year, as a number that proved 
absolutely valueless have been discarded. Beans, including both Scarlet 
Runners and Dwarf Kidney varieties, were largely represented, a very 
good strain of the former being grown, and of the latter Victoria was 
noticeable for its large pods and prolific habit, while of the Butter Beans 
Wax Flageolet, Golden Butter-wax, and Wax Date were notable. Carrots, 
Parsnips, and Beet occupied much space, but one of the most interesting 
quarters was that appropriated to the Onions, of which fifty-three supposed 
distinct varieties were tested this season, one very obvious result being 
that a large proportion were found to be “too much alike” to deserve 
distinct names. The White, Red, and Yellow Globes were fine, but 
especially the first-named. The Flat Red and Italian Tripoli were also 
excellent varieties, the White Italian Flat Mammoth being remarkable for 
the great size of the bulbs, Danver’s Yellow deserves prominent notice, and 
Improved Banbury was unquestionably one of the best varieties for size 
and evenness of bulbs. The other leading sorts were Giant Zittau, Giant 
Bocca, Blood Red, Brown Spanish, Bedfordshire Champion, James’ 
Keeping, and Newnham Park. 
_ Peas form such an important kitchen garden crop, that it is not sur¬ 
prising special provision should have been made for testing them, and 
accordingly no less than 128 varieties have this season been grown at 
Kinver, a trial which the home varieties Chancellor, Wordsley Wonder, 
Kinver Gem, and others have stood most satisfactorily. Several of these 
have become great favourites in gardens, Wordsley Wonder especially 
having taken an important position owing to its good quality and pro¬ 
lificness. Turnips, Lettuces, and Savoys each formed interesting 
quarters, concerning which much could be said, while of Cabbages there 
have been fifty-five trials in addition to several acres of Emperor and 
New Early Drumhead for seed, the crop of the former being grand even 
samples of an excellent Cabbage. Numbers of other trials have been 
undertaken, and the results amply prove that the system is an admirable 
one. 
Besides the several departments mentioned, it should be observed that 
a large trade has been developed in artificial manures, the works being at 
Widnes, Lincolnshire. Then to this must be added the noq-horticultural 
but important glass-manufacturing business, where some exquisitely 
artistic work is produced, and it will be patent to all that the firm of 
Messrs. Webb & Sons is one of the most remarkable in the kingdom. 
The development of such a gigantic and diversified business indicates an 
astonishing capacity, and is in itself a sufficient proof that the true secret 
of commercial prosperity, high quality of productions, is thoroughly 
understood.—A Visitor. 
ORCHARD HOUSE CONSTRUCTION. 
A Perthshire correspondent and several others desire full information 
respecting the construction of orchard houses, and in compliance with their 
request we reproduce the following from Rivers’ “Orchard House,” the 
substance of •which appeared in several articles published in early numbers 
of thiB Journal. The work in question gives a variety of other useful infor¬ 
mation on the subject that is indispensable to anyone intending to build 
such houses. 
A Leax-to Orchard House. —Its length may be from 10 to 100 feet or 
more, according to means and space ; but its breadth and height should be 
according to the following dimensions, unless any improved plan may be 
suggested which will insure greater advantages at the same.cost:— 
I will suppose that an orchard house 30 feet long is required. A ground 
plan 30 feet long and 12 feet 6 inches wide should be marked out. _ Then six 
posts of oak or good yellow deal, 5 inches by 3, and 10 feet 6 inches in length ; 
or of larch poles, 16 inches in girth, cut in two, and the flat sides placed 
outwards, must be firmly fixed 2 feet in the ground : the ground ends, 
before fixing, should be charred 2 feet 6 inches from the bottom, and then 
have a coat of boiling coal tar, which adds much to their durability. They 
will form the back line of posts, standing 8 feet 6 inches in height from the 
surface of the ground. For the front wall six posts of the same thickness, 
6 feet 6 inches long, must be firmly fixed 18 inches in the ground, so that 
they stand 5 feet out. Two posts will be required at each end (at one end, 
if only one door is wanted) ; these will form the door posts. On these posts, 
both at front and back, must be nailed a plate, 4 inches by 3, on which the 
rafters are to rest; the posts are thus arranged in two lines. 
Now then for the rafters. These must be 14 feet long. A 9-inch deal— 
i.e., a deal 9 inches wide and 3 inches thick will make four, each 4| inches 
by 1J, or nearly so. These are light, strong, and the most _ economical 
of all. Instead of “ ploughing ” the rebate for the glass (which is great 
labour and waste of material), on the upper side of each rafter, exactly 
in the centre, must be nailed a slip of half-inch board, half an inch 
wide ; this will leave half an inch of the rafter on each side for the 
glass to rest on (not too much for glass 20 inches in width). The rafters 
are so far prepared for glazing, but not yet fitted on the plates at top 
and bottom of the projected house ; no mortises must be made, but the 
rafter fitted to the back plate by cutting out a piece. They must then be 
strongly nailed to the front and back plates, leaving a space between each 
rebate of 20 inches. A piece of threequarter-inch deal board, 6 inches wide, 
should be nailed along the top to the end of each rafter, so as to be even 
with their upper edges, and in this should be a groove to receive the upper 
ends of the pieces of glass. At the bottom a piece of board, 1 inch thick 
and 6 inches wide, must be let in, by sawing a piece out of each rafter, for 
the glass to rest on and to carry off the water. We have thus formed a 
sloping roof, 8 feet 9 inches (with the plate) high at back, and 5 feet 3 inches 
high in front. 
The glazing is now to be thought of. This is best done by placing a 
broad plank, 5 or 6 feet long and 2 inches thick, across the rafters, for the 
glazier to kneel on. Two “brads ” (small headless nails) should be driven 
into the rafter at the bottom corner of each piece of glass, so as to prevent 
its slipping down, which, with large pieces of glass, is very apt to occur; a 
bed of putty should be placed in each rebate for the glass to rest on, and 
the putty firmly placed over the pieces of glass in the usual way when it is 
fixed in its placs. The laps should not exceed a quarter of an inch, and 
they need not bo puttied, as the ventilation is more free when they are not. 
The most economical glass is 16 oz. British sheet-glass, which can be bought 
at 2d. per foot, and the size to be preferred 20 inches by 12, placing it cross¬ 
wise, as the rafters should be 20 inches asunder. I find that scarcely any 
breakage takes place from frost, owing to the large pieces being elastic. 
On and outside the back posts threequarter-inch well-seasoned deal boards 
should be nailed. In the back wall thus formed, sliding shutters in grooves, 
3 feet by 1 foot, must be fixed to act as ventilators—two close to the roof 
and two 18 inches from the surface of the ground (the lower shutters in the 
back wall must always be on a level with the ventilating shutter in front) ; 
if two more be added to the right and left of the lower shutters, all the 
better; in summer it is impossible to give too much air. 
The front and ends (except the doorway) must also have threequarter- 
inch boards nailed on outside the posts ; one of them, the upper one in the 
front, to be on hinges, so as to let down the whole length of the house ; this, 
with the back shutters, when all are open in hot weather, will ventilate 
thoroughly. To add to this, and it is all required in summer, the boards will 
shrink and let in air; a fierce sunlight is thus admitted by the large glass, 
and abundance of air, in which all fruit trees thrive to admiration. The 
boards and rafters should be painted with stone-coloured paint, which will 
give the house a very neat appearance. 
If required, more head-room may be given by making a sunken path 
2 feet 6 inches wide, and 4 to 6 inches deep, in the centre of the ground-plan 
