September 22, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
53 
dragons (Antirrhinum) and Canterbury Bells, we came 
to a large breadth of Asters that had suffered, however, 
a good deal from blight, which has everywhere, in that 
district at least, spoilt them during the present season. 
A fine show of Ten-Week Stocks was just coming into 
bloom at the time of our visit. For this flower Messrs. 
Webb have great fame, their strains producing as high 
a per-centage of double blooms as it is possible to 
obtain. Webbs’ Imperial Stock is a large-flowering 
pyramidal strain, double, and in great variety of 
colour. Nasturtiums in wide diversity made a gay 
show, and among other striking features of the flower 
garden may be named the new Sterling Poppy, the 
new hybrid Mimulus, purple and white Candytufts, 
and beds of the beautiful scarlet flax, Linum grandi- 
florum rubrum, Calliopsis Drummondi, Webbs’ gold- 
striped French Marigold, and Pride of Kinver Verbena. 
All of these, and many more, tempted us to tarry in 
this garden of delight, but time was short, and space is 
limited, so we hurry on to the less beautiful but more 
utilitarian department. 
Carnation, Emma Lakin : Flowers White. 
The link bjtween the two departments—or, indeed, 
we may rather say the golden thread running through 
all the operations at Kinver—may be expressed in three 
words—namely, hybridisation, selection, and culti¬ 
vation. In its widest sense, perhaps, the last word 
includes the other two ; but in its narrower meaning it 
implies the maintenance of the ground already won. 
One can easily imagine that a certain amount of enthu¬ 
siasm may aid in the laborious but interesting work of 
propagating new varieties and experimenting with 
nature ; but all this would avail little if it were not 
backed up by unremitting care in holding fast, as it 
were, to what has been already accomplished in per¬ 
petuating the strains which scientific ingenuity has 
originated, and of this care in cultivation there are 
many signs at Kinver. This is due not only to 
great care and attention, but also to the system 
which prevails, and which, more than anything 
else, is the secret of Messrs. Webbs’ remarkable success ; 
this is patient and never-ceasing selection. For their 
stock seeds Messrs. Webb go carefully through every 
crop as it is harvested, and pick out the best. This is 
done by women as the crop is cut. Take the case of a 
cereal crop —Wheat or Barley, for example. As the 
reaping machine goes round it is closely followed by a 
number of women, who pick out the finest and plumpest 
ears. These are taken and thrashed separately, the 
Corn assiduously sorted, and the largest and most 
perfect grains picked out. These, and these only, are 
considered worthy of the honour of perpetuating the 
variety. 
Apart from this, though largely dependent upon it 
for its ultimate success, is the work of hybridisation, 
by which new and improved varieties are constantly 
being produced. A striking instance of what may be 
done in this direction is afforded in the case of Peas. 
Of these 109 new sorts which were crossed last year 
were to be seen, as well as twenty kinds that were 
crossed in the previous year, and which were being 
tried for another season. Some of these—indeed, the 
majority of them—were, of course, not worthy of 
perpetuation, being no better than some of the famous 
varieties already in commerce. Obviously it is not 
worth while going to the expense of cultivating and 
introducing a new variety, unless in some respect it is 
an improvement upon existing varieties. 
Some of the Peas which the Messrs. Webb 
have lately brought out, such as Chan¬ 
cellor, Wordsley Wonder, Kinver Gem, 
Electric Light, and Stourbridge Marrow, 
seem to be well-nigh perfect in shape, 
size and flavour, but the seedsman “never 
is, but always to be blest,” and a new 
variety is now being cultivated for send¬ 
ing out next season, which is expected 
to rival all former triumphs. That 
there is some scope for the work of 
selection at Kinver may be inferred from 
the fact that eighty-eight acres are occu¬ 
pied in growing Peas alone. 
There are altogether some 300 varieties 
of Potatos in growth at the Messrs. Webbs’ 
farm on the sixty-eight acres devoted 
to this crop. The larger part of this 
area is naturally occupied by the sorts 
in most extensive demand, such as 
Stourbridge Glory, Epicure, Masterpiece, 
Wordsley Pride, Renown, Red King, 
Kinver Hill, Benefactor, and Discovery. 
There are also a number of new sorts for 
offer next season, some of which have 
already been awarded First Class Certi¬ 
ficates. For Cabbage, both for farm 
and culinary purposes, the Messrs. Webb 
are famous. Their Emperor, a dwarf, 
compact, hardy, and very early sort, 
is especially popular, and has frequently 
taken prizes at the chief horticultural 
shows. Of other vegetables it must 
suffice merely to name Webbs’ Match¬ 
less Brussels Sprouts, Kinver Mammoth 
Long-pod and Victoria Dwarf French 
Beans, May Queen Broccoli, Defiance 
Intermediate Carrot, Perpetual Bearer 
Cucumber, and Jubilee and Sensation 
Tomatos. All of these have earned high 
encomiums from those who have grown 
them. 
So far as the works at Wordsley were 
concerned, our visit was paid at a 
slack time. The extensive and elaborate 
machinery for cleaning seeds and seed corn 
was idle, and stocks were naturally low in 
the great warehouses. The two largest of these 
structures are 180 ft. long and 60 ft. wide, with five 
floors in each, and it was satisfactory to see that 
another was being built 120 ft. long, 50 ft. wide, and 
75 ft. high. Early in the present year the office 
accommodation was increased by the addition of 
another wing. These are definite indications that in 
the case of Messrs. Webbs’ business, virtue is being its 
own reward—that their enterprise, skill, and assiduity 
are bearing fruit in the constant increase of their 
already enormous trade. It must be remembered that 
what has been referred to in this article, extensive as it 
is, is but a comparatively small section of the business 
done by Messrs. Webb. Tbe trade in farm seeds is a 
huge and world-wide one. This firm also carries on a 
large trade in Hops, wool, and artificial manures, 
having works for the manufacture of the latter at 
Widnes, in Lancashire. Altogether, therefore, the 
firm of Messrs. Webb & Son is a notable one.— It. 
Tecoma jasminoides. —A grand climber adorning 
the roof of a greenhouse at Glenstal Castle is the 
subject of this note, but it is not so frequently met 
with as its merits deserve. Doubtless it is rather too 
susceptible to brown scale to be everybody’s plant, but 
for all that it is a very showy subject, and lasts a long 
time in bloom.— E. D. 
especially for small grafting. For trees grafted upon 
the stock principle the daubing material may be of a 
coarser nature than for the whip or tongue grafting. 
Good clay with a proportion of tough hay, well com¬ 
pounded together, and thoroughly worked in and round 
the grafts to prevent it being washed off by the 
weather, is all that is required for stock grafting. I 
may here state that heading the trees at the proper 
time and securing and properly keeping the grafts is of 
quite as much importance as carrying out the work. 
-- 
THE KINVER SEED FARMS. 
The gardener, like the Athenians of old, is ever looking 
out for some new thing. The charm of novelty appeals 
forcibly to everyone, and the beauty of a new flower, 
or the good qualities of an improved vegetable, come 
with pleasant freshness ; but to supply the constant 
demand for novelty a large amount of work has to be 
performed by someone. Nature does not, in the ordi¬ 
nary course of cultivation, depart from the old lines. 
'Her guiding instinct seems rather to be 
to stereotype existing varieties, and to 
secure their perpetuation so far as possible 
unchanged. Here it is that the scientist 
and the seedsman interfere. Perhaps in 
an ideal state of society the improvement 
of nature would fall chiefly into the hands 
of scientific men, w T ho should be publicly 
employed for the purpose ; but a wealthy 
and cultivated nation like England does 
not waste money upon the “ endowment of 
research,” and thus the work falls almost 
entirely upon private enterprise. 
Among those to whom the gardening 
world is greatly indebted come very pro¬ 
minently Messrs. Webb & Sons, of 
Wordsley, near Stourbridge. At their 
Kinver farms and trial grounds they have, 
perhaps, the most extensive area which 
is occupied for such a purpose in the 
world. Something like 1,700 acres are 
there devoted to the experimental growth 
and cultivation of farm and garden seeds. 
A recent opportunity of inspection was, 
therefore, cordially embraced, and some 
account of what was seen may be inter¬ 
esting to readers of The Gardening 
World. 
As we walked on to what is termed the 
“Garden Ground” the flowers and vege¬ 
tables divided between them our first 
attention. One scarcely knew which to 
turn to first. On the one hand the bright 
and glowing colours which Nature paints 
with so lavish a hand, and which are here 
in infinite variety and untold diversity 
of tint; on the other the long rows of 
ripening vegetables laden with their 
cheerful store, and suggestive of all manner 
of pleasant and succulent delight. There 
are charms on either hand, and one felt 
like the embarrassed person of the song, 
who “ could be happy with either,” or 
more prosaicly — like the proverbial 
donkey between two bundles of hay. 
However, the mind prevailed against 
matter, beauty against utility, the eye 
against the appetite—as indeed it frequently 
does, especially after a good lunch. We turned first 
to the flowers, and here it may be noted at the outset 
that the acres which stretched before us were after all 
only samples. Messrs. Webb & Sons occupy, as we 
have said, about l,/00 acres at Kinver (a large portion 
being their own freehold), and yet in this extensive 
area they are able to do little more than raise their stock 
seeds. The bulk of the seeds are grown on im¬ 
mense areas in various parts of the country on 
selected soils and situations specially adapted for the 
purpose. This will, in passing, give some idea of the 
extent of the business represented by what we have to 
describe. 
Foremost came a bed of Sweet Williams, of Webbs’ 
Invincible variety. They were remarkably large and 
diversified in colour, the centres of the flowers being 
exceptionally clear and well defined. A large quantity 
of Helichrysum attracted our attention by the delicacy 
and purity of its tints. This hardy annual everlasting 
is very serviceable for house decoration in the winter 
months, when it is difficult to keep the vases constantly 
filled. We were struck also by a bed of Zinnias, 
Messrs. Webbs’ Exhibition Strain of this flower having 
a great reputation. Passing by a quantity of Snap¬ 
