December 9, 18S9. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
283 
Kew it can be seen growing in an open air brick 
built tank. The flowers are very handsome with a 
depth of the most beautiful of chiefly blue and 
white shades. They succeed in a peaty loam com¬ 
post, and when once planted, which can be now or in 
spring, they do not like to be disturbed. 
— s*- 
SPINFIELD, GREAT MARLOW. 
Having heard much of Spinfield, the beautiful 
residence of R. Hay-Murray, Esq., near Marlow, I 
had an opportunity some time ago of spending a 
pleasant evening in company with Mr. Thos. Black- 
more, the genial and successful head gardener 
there. 
The mansion commands a fine view up the Thames 
valley, and is situated sufficiently high to clear the 
newer hybrids. A fine variety of Cattleya gaskell- 
iana bore evidence of the highest culture ; indeed, 
the whole collection was in the best of health. There 
were many other varieties and species too numerous 
to mention separately. 
The Croton house was full of healthy young stuff, 
Warrenii berng in good form. Mr. Blackmore is an 
adept at Crotoa culture ; and a handsome specimen 
of the variety Superbum will doubtless adorn the 
stages of the local horticultural show soon, where for 
several years the exhibits from Mr. Murray’s estab¬ 
lishment have practically carried all before them. 
Specimen Palms, Ferns, and other stove subjects 
were all well grown. Carnations are largely grown 
for indoor decoration; also pot Roses, the hybrid 
perpetuals being mostly favoured. Large specimens 
of Hydrangeas were making a fine show—as was also 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES, 
Earlswood Nurseries, Redhill. 
For years, Mr. W. Wells, the central pillar of 
Messrs. W. Wells & Co., Ltd., of Earlswood 
Nurseries, Redhill, Surrey, has been of great assist¬ 
ance to many of those interested in Chrysanthe- 
mums and the manifold side issues which the study 
of this " golden-flower ” implies. Acting upon his 
own motto, which most of our readers no doubt 
have seen, "One customer well served is equal to 
ten advertisements," Mr. Wells has become more 
fully recognised, and more frequently referred to as 
one of the most eminent of present day introducers 
and cultivators of the Chrysanthemum. 
Each year the list of varieties is put under con¬ 
sideration, the really old and now unknown 
frequent fogs that overhang the valley in winter and 
spring. Mr. Murray takes a keen interest in garden¬ 
ing, and spares no expense evidently to have every¬ 
thing of the best, and at the time of my visit many 
were the interesting objects both inside and outside. 
The Orchids were first inspected and a healthier lot 
of plants of various species would be hard to find. 
The collection is varied but the Dendrobiums were 
in specially fine form. On a single plant of D. 
thyrsiflorum, I counted as many as twenty-eight 
racemes of flower; and the plant was the very 
picture of health and good culture, as will be seen 
from the photograph figured here. The variety D. 
nobile had also made fine growths as well as the 
beautiful D. wardianum. 
Cypripediums were in good force, some fine plants 
of C. insigne being noted, as well as many of the 
Dendrobium thyrsiflorum at Spinfield, Marlow. 
the beautiful Streptosolen Jamesoni, with stems 2 ft. 
high, as standards. 
The vineries contained a good crop of bunches. 
Madresfield Court here gives little or no trouble as 
regards cracking, and is much favoured as a black 
Grape. A fine house of Peach and Nectarine trees 
was carrying a heavy crop; especially fine was 
Princess of Wales Peach. 
The kitchen garden was well cropped, and 
herbaceous plants are grown in large quantities, and 
in fine variety in this department. The shades of 
night were fast drawing on us and we had reluctantly 
to postpone to a future time further inspection of this 
beautiful and well kept establishment.— Jas. Dinning. 
Gardening is the art by which Nature is made to 
improve her own productions. 
varieties being times and again replaced by the 
newer proved varieties. Thus it becomes a matter 
of importance to secure the yearly list. He has 
applied himself to the securing of all that is choicest 
of the newly raised Continental and even far away 
Australian novelties. The system in vogue between 
Mr. John Pockett, Australia, and Mr. W. Wells, 
England, is for the latter to send plants to the 
Antipodes, whose drier climate is far more suitable 
than our own for seed saving purposes. This latter 
operation having been fulfilled there and the 
seedlings tried, Mr. Pockett packs off to Mr. Wells 
all the varieties, which, as seedlings with him, 
seemed to have "something in them.” When 
brought here they require two years to acclimatise, 
so that from first to last no pains are spared to do 
things well. Having had a turn through the con- 
