September  16.  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
271 
A  VISIT  TO  WOHCESTEB. 
No  visitor  with  an  hour  or  two  to  spare  and  the  slightest  pretension  to 
an  interest  in  horticulture,  would  ever  think  of  visiting  the  ancient  city 
of  Worcester  without  looking  in  at  the  nurseries  of  Messrs.  R.  Smith  and 
Co.,  which  are  situated  at  St.  John’s.  The  people  of  Worcester  find 
plefesure  in  styling  themselves  as  of  “  the  City  of  the  Faithful,”  an 
honourable  title  to  which  we  fancy  we  have  heard  the  Exonians  lay  claim. 
But  whether  or  no  they  are  justified  in  this  matters  little  to  readers  of 
the  Journal  of  Horticulture,  who  are  satisfied  with  the  knowledge  that  the 
city  has  within  its  precincts  such  a  famous  nursery  as  that  under  notice. 
It  is  no  establishment  of  IMushroom-like  growth,  hut  a  business  that  has 
grown  with  the  years  and  with  the  decades,  and  stands  now  renowned  the 
world  over  for  its  Clematis,  its  hardwooded  plants,  its  shrubs,  and  its 
fruit  trees,  with  other  things  that  one  need  not  particularise  in  an  intro¬ 
ductory  paragraph. 
As  the  train  rushed  on  its  way  towards  the  town  the  writer  found 
himself  wondering  whether  he  would  experience  any  difficulty  in  reaching 
the  desired  goal.  But  nothing  of  the  sort  need  have  been  fancied,  for  it 
was  quickly  learned  that  trams  ran  frequently  from  the  Great  Western 
station  yard  to  the  gates  of  the  nursery.  The  route  is  for  some  distance 
through  many  narrow  streets,  but  after  crqssing  the  river  a  broad  road 
bordered  by  trees  is  entered  upon,  and  is  considerably  more  pleasant, 
especially  on  a  hot  day  in  the  summer.  These  few  hints  are  given  with 
a  view  to  assisting  other  horticultural  strangers  who  may  purpose  visiting 
Smith's.  It  may  be  said  that  the  distance  is  about  two  miles,  and  thus  a 
comfortable  walk  on  a  cool  day,  but  rather  too  far  under  a  blazing  sun 
when  the  one  or  two  hills  that  have  to  be  mounted  are  taken  into 
consideration. 
When  once  St.  .Tohu’s  is  reached  one  finds  oneself  in  a  totally  different 
atmosphere  — the  air  being  much  purer,  sweeter  and  fresher,  than  in  the 
town  just  left.  Such  being  the  case,  one  could  not  be  suri)rised  at  the 
charming  effect  the  first  entrance  within  the  gates  of  the  nurseries  left 
upon  the  mind,  for  everything  looks  bright  and  healthy.  A  long  broad 
walk  stretched  away  in  front  of  us.  Hanked  by  vegetation  on  each  side, 
but  we  did  not  follow  this,  but  bore  away  to  the  left  in  search  of  the 
offices  and  of  a  guide,  both  of  which  were  speedily  discovered.  A  rest 
and  a  chat  here  over  gardening  and  gardeners  occupied  only  about  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  after  which  we  commenced  our  tour  in  real  earnest, 
and  inspected  at  the  outset 
The  Glass  Department. 
The  writer  had  had  a  sort  of  impression  that,. beyond  Clematis  and 
Heaths,  nothing  “  great  ”  was  grown  under  glass,  but  in  this  was  most 
hopelessly  wrong,  for  there  are  Roses  by  the  thousand,  Pelargoniums,  all 
kinds  of  hardwooded  plants,  Ampelopsis  Veitchi,  and  others  in  enormous 
quantities,  and  all  in  splendid  health.  Naturally  the  Clematis  took  atten¬ 
tion  first,  and  as  we  passed  through  house  after  house,  we  ventured  to 
wonder  audilily  how  many  were  grown,  and  were  astonished  to  find  the 
stock  was  about  eighty  thousand.  “  Stupendous  I  ”  readers  may  think, 
and  wonder  where  the  whole  of  them  find  their  w'ay  to.  All  ages  are 
rejjresented  in  various  places  ;  some  have  only  just  been  root-grafted, 
and  do  not  yet  show  any  signs  of  growth.  In  another  stage,  the  jdants 
in  about  3-inch  pots  had  each  a  3-feet  stake  that  was  clothed  with  clean, 
strong,  healthy  growth.  These  were  packed  pot  thick  in  immense  central 
beds,  and  on  the  side  stages  of  several  very  long  span- roofed  houses. 
Beyond  these  two  samples  there  are  others  of  much  greater  age,  and,  of 
course,  all  the  varieties  for  which  the  firm  is  renowned  are  represented. 
The  vast  array  of  Roses  in  pots  is  almost  as  imposing  as  the  Clematis, 
and  the  plants  have  the  same  desirable  characteristics  of  health,  cleanli¬ 
ness,  and  strength.  Almost  the  whole  of  them  belong  to  the  Tea  and 
Noisette  sections,  and  of  all  there  is  probably  a  larger  number  of 
Marechal  Niel  than  of  any  other  individual  variety,  though  all  the  most 
popular  ones  are  represented  by  hundreds,  and  even  more!  It  is  notice¬ 
able  that  at  every  few  yards  through  the  houses  are  standpipes  with 
lengths  of  hose,  so  that  water  may  be  applied  rapidly  in  any  particular 
spot  that  may  require  it.  Asparagus  defiexus,  A.  plumosus  nanus, 
A.  Sprengeri,  with  Ferns,  Dracaenas,  and  other  plants  appreciated  for 
the  beauty  or  elegance  of  their  leafage,  receive  more  attention  than  is 
customarily  devoted  to  them  in  nurseries,  and  prove  by  their  condition 
that  the  treatment  to  which  they  are  subjected  is  in  every  way  suited  to 
their  requirements. 
Let  us  now'  turn  for  a  moment  to  the  hardw’ooded  plants,  of  which  we 
will  mention  Ericas  and  Azaleas  as  two  typical  examples.  Of  these  and 
others  there  are  thousands,  growing  in  houses,  frames,  and  in  the  open 
air.  Young  plants  and  old  ones  are  seen  on  every  hand,  the  propagation 
being  effected  at  home — indeed.  Smith’s  is  one  of  the  few  establishments 
where  the  increase  of  these  plants  is  largely  carried  out.  The  growth  is 
wonderfully  sturdy  and  strong,  and  proves  that  the  firm  has  made  a 
speciality  of  something  it  thoroughly  understands.  It  would  be 
impossible  to  find  anywhere  a  collection  of  plants  in  better  condition  than 
these.  Azaleas  are  propagated  by  the  thousand  to  meet  the  extensive 
demand,  and  beyond  the  new'  varieties,  of  which  some  are  purchased  each 
year  to  keep  the  collection  up  to  date,  there  are  no  continental  specimens 
on  the  place.  Evidently  the  wants  of  these  are  known  by  the  man  in 
charge. 
But  we  must  proceed  on  our  way,  and  note  in  passing  the  hundreds, 
even  thousands,  of  Lapagerias,  especially  of  rosea,  of  which  there  are 
some  superb  plants.  Bouvardias  constitute  a  business  in  themselves,  to 
such  an  extent  are  they  grow'n  ;  while  Gardenias,  Ixoras,  and  Stephanotis, 
with  Gannas,  Crotons,  and  many  others,  receive  attention  in  proportion 
• 
to  their  importance,  and  the  demand  there  is  for  thepi  from  buyers. 
None  of  these  several  plants  are  grown  and  arranged  in  houses  for  show, 
as  is  seen  in  most  nurseries  ;  they  are  grown  for  sale,  and  so  excellent  is 
the  firm’s  reputation,  that  purchasers  find  no  necessity  to  make  their  own 
selections — instead,  they  state  their  requirements,  and  rely  upon  having 
them  fulfilled.  It  is  probable  that  of  the  plants  we  have  mentioned,  the 
stock  in  the  Worcester  Nurseries  is  one  of  the  finest  and  most  extensive 
in  the  United  Kingdom.  Thousands  of  Relargoniums  of  the  various 
sections  are  noted  in  our  walk  round,  for  in  these  a  very  large  trade  is 
done,  especially,  we  learned  from  our  guide,  in  the  North  of  England  and 
across  the  border. 
Flowers  out  of  Doors. 
When  mention  has  to  be  made  of  the  outdoor  rowers  we  need  not  go 
farther  than  the  Roses  ere  making  a  start,  for  of  these  there  are  about  twenty 
acres,  some  in  one  place  and  some  in  another.  Hybrid  Perpetuals  and 
garden  Roses,  of  course,  take  up  the  major  portion  of  the  space,  the  Teas, 
as  has  been  previously  observed,  being  grown  within  doors.  Standards  ■ 
and  dwarfs,  young  and  old,  all  have  their  place,  and  all  are  in  capital 
condition.  Despite  the  intense  heat  that  had  been  prevailing  for  some 
time  prior  to  this  visit  being  paid,  there  were  large  numbers  of  beautiful 
fiowers  to  be  seen,  from  which,  by  careful  selection,  a  box  could  easily 
have  been  found  that  would  have  done  credit  to  any  show.  A  noticeable 
quarter  in  this  section  was  that  occupied  by  the  Crimson  Ramblers,  which 
by  their  magnificent  growth  and  beautiful  foliage,  were  conspicuous  before 
all  others. 
Hardy  plants  of  all  kinds  for  rockeries  and  for  beds  or  borders 
receive  attention,  and  are  grown  in  small  hedge-enclosed  gardens.  In 
this  department  the  most  noticeable  feature  amongst  the  plants  in  bloom 
was  the  uniform  excellence  of  the  species  and  varieties.  This,  we  learned, 
was  due  to  the  fact  that  a  few  years  ago,  when  land  was  scarce,  a 
thorough  overhauling  had  been  carried  out,  any  that  were  at  all  inferior 
having  then  been  lifted  and  thrown  away  to  make  room  for  others  much 
more  deserving  of  the  valuable  ground  at  disposal.  No  attempt  will  be 
made  to  mention  names  here,  as  herbaceous  jdants  are  familiar  to  all,  and 
the  most  jirominent  will  Hash  across  the  mind  of  the  reader  as  these  notes 
are  perused. 
Trees  and  Shrubs. 
As  the  nursery  occupies  an  area  of  200  acres,  or  thereabouts,  it  will 
readily  be  recognised  that  there  is  plenty  of  room  to  grow  shrubs  and. 
trees  of  all  sorts  and  of  various  sizes,  and  this,  despite  the  fact  that 
20  acre.s  go  for  Roses,  and  considerably  more  than  that  for  Asparagus, 
which  is  grown  to  a  surprising  extent.  The  specimen  shrubs  of  all  kinds 
on  the  margins  of  the  main  walk,  which  is  rather  over  a  mile  in  length,, 
are  splendidly  grown,  and  demonstrate  both  the  suitability  of  the  soil 
and  the  cultural  methods  adopted.  Hollies  are  of  exceptional  excellence 
in  all  stages,  from  the  tiny  plant  to  the  pyramid  or  standard  many  feet 
in  height.  From  these  alone  it  can  be  seen  that  the  nursery  is  no 
juvenile,  for  many  years  must  have  elapsed  since  the  largest  plants  were 
propagated.  Flowering  shrubs  are  apparently  numberless,  as  are  those 
grown  for  the  beauty  of  their  leafage  ;  while  of  trees,  such  as  (Jaks, 
Limes,  Planes,  and  others,  there  are  the  same  immense  stocks  on  hand. 
Conifers  form  one  of  the  most  interesting  departments  in  this  establish¬ 
ment,  and  the  collection  would  be  very  difficult  to  surpass,  so  complete  is 
it,  and  so  excellent  the  specimens  it  comprises.  In  all  there  must  be 
several  acres  of  Thuias,  Cupressus,  Pinuses,  Piceas,  >  ews,  and  others.  Of 
these  the  Golden  forms,  more  particularly  of  the  first  and  second  named, 
are  peculiarly  beautiful,  and  as  there  are  plants  of  each  perfect  in  all 
respects,  much  interest  is  centred  amongst  them.  In  the  borders  of  the 
principal  walk  almost  all  the  kinds  grown  are  represented,  the  bulk  being 
relegated  to  quarters  here  and  there  about  the  nursery.  This  facilitates 
comi)arisons  being  made  by  |)urchasers  and  visitors,  as  it  is  difficult  during 
the  planting  season  for  the  various  sections  to  be  reached  in  comfort. 
Thus  selections  can  be  made  fiom  those  I'eferred  to,  and  the  plants  lifted 
from  their  respective  positions  wherever  they  may  be.  The  system  has 
much  to  commend  it.  and  fortunately  finds  favour  in  most  large  nurseries 
where  trees  and  shrubs  are  grown  extensively. 
Fruit  Trees  and  Vines  in  Pots. 
It  would  not  be  possible  to  have  found  anything  more  appropriate 
with  which  to  bring  these  notes  to  a  conclusion  than  the  fruit  trees 
and  the  Vines  in  pots,  for,  excellent  as  are  the  occupants  of  the  several 
other  divisions,  these  are  no  less  so.  Clean,  strong  growth  is  the  main 
characteristic.  There  is  no  grossness,  no  over-luxuriance  or  sappiness, 
which  warn  the  ex|)erienced  cultivator  that  fruitfulness  is  scarcely  likely 
to  accrue.  Quarter  after  quarter  is  noticed  of  Apples,  Pears,  Plums, 
Chqrries,  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  all  kinds  of  small  fruits.  Here  are 
standards  and  ])yramids,  there  bushes,  whilst  yonder  are  sections  of 
trained  trees  all  in  fine  condition.  At  the  time  this  visit  was  paid  the 
quarters  were  even  and  well  stocked,  but  before  another  six  months  have 
passed  they  will  be  thinner  and  considerably  more  untidy  by  reason  of 
the  gaps  made  by  those  that  will  be  removed.  The  ^  ines  in  pots  are  a 
speciality,  and  more  than  this  need  not  be  said  to  guarantee  the  excellence' 
of  their  condition.  .  .  . 
Another  word  or  two  and  w  e  have  done.  The  references  to  this  visit 
to  Messrs.  R.  Smith  «&  Co.’s  nurseries  must  not  be  finished  without 
mention  being  made  of  their  surprising  cleanliness.  Acre  after  acre  was 
observed  with  scarcely  a  weed  on  it,  while  there  was  probably  not  am 
acre  of  the  whole  20o  that  was  not  occupied  to  its  fullest  extent.  It 
cannot  be  questioned  that  the  land  and  its  occupants  are  most  creditable 
to  the  firm  and  to  the  men  employed  thereon. — Stranher. 
