291 
April  2,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  llORTIGULTURF 
(Sai'bens  IRounb  Sbeffielb. 
STEELOPOLIS,  or  The  Cutlery  City,”  as  Sheffield  is  so 
frequently  called,  is.  generally  looked  upon  by  travellers 
as  a  dismal,  smoky  town,  wherein  beauty  non  esf,  and  to 
strangers  approaching  or  leaving  the  city  by  rail  through 
the  east  end  there  is  some  excuse  for  the  opinion  formed;  but 
the  traveller  sees  only  the  “  smoky  ”  side,  and  the  quantity  of 
smoke  must  be  taken  as  some  indication  of  the  prosperity  of  the 
district.  Let  them,  however,  get  into  the  handsome  High  Street 
and  board  any  car  going  south  or  west,  and  at  the-  end  of  a 
modest  penny  ride  surprises  will  await  them.  Remarkable  land¬ 
scapes  lie  before  you  on  every  hand,  sylvan  beauties,  glens,  and 
not  far  away  stretch  miles  of  moorland.  Here  and  there  are 
dotted  the  pleasant  abodes  of  the  elite  of  the:  city,  andl  as  it  is 
these  that  now  concern  us,  it  may  be  at  once  stated  that  Sheffield 
can  hold  its  own  in  the  horticultural  world.  To  a  few  of  the  more 
important  establishments  we  propose  to  introduce  our  readers, 
and  commence  our  tour  at 
Milnhurst. 
the  residence  of  W.  G.  Blake,  Esq.,  familiarly  known  as  Major 
Blake.  Situate  on  an  elevated  position  facing  south,  and  over¬ 
looking  the  famous  Longshore  moors  of  the  Duke  of  Rutland, 
Mylnhurst  stands  in  its  own  grounds  of  about  twenty  acres, 
secluded  by  handsome  shrubberies  by  which  it  is  surrounded.  The 
season  is  yet  early,  and  the  grounds  are  not  yet  at  their  best, 
but  there  is  full  evidence  of  the  gardener’s  care  in  the  well-kept 
pleasure  grounds.  A  lawn  of  about  two  acres,  with  a  gentle  slope 
to  the  south,  ends  in  an  enchanting  spot,  where  is  revealed  hand¬ 
some  specimen  shrubs,  such  as  English,  Golden,  and  IrisJ^Yews, 
Cedar  Deodara,  &c.  An  ornamental  pond  of  about  an  acre  Ls 
bounded  on  the  north  side  by  a  huge  bank  of  Rhododendrons  in 
variety,  and  near  by  is  a  bed  of  Azalea  mollis  looking  extremely 
well. 
The  Rose  Garden 
is  here  in  as  sheltered  as  spot  as  could  well  be.  A  strong  wind  is 
blowing,  yet,  standing  in  this  rosery,  “  not  a  breath  can  be  felt  ”  ; 
the  foliage  is  unmoved,  yet  mildew  is  almost  unknown.  To  one 
who  likes  seclusion,  or  wishes  to  be  “  alone  with  his  thoughts,” 
this  Rose  garden  is  an  ideal  spot.  Here  are  the  best  varieties 
of  the  queen  of  flowers,  and  it  is  bounded  on  the  south  side  by  a 
hedge  of  Gloire  de  Dijon  on  iron  espaliers  12ft  high. 
The  Kitchen  Garden. 
No.  1  kitchen  garden,  of  about  an  acre  in  extent,  is  con¬ 
veniently  intersected  by  asphalted  walks,  6ft  wide  lined  with 
espalier  fruit  trees.  Apples  and  Pears  predominating.  On  the 
'outer  wall  cordon  Pears  do  well.  The  walks  are  bordered  with 
-a  grand  display  of  Crocuses — yellow,  white,  and  blue  in  alternate 
patches,  which  give  a  particularly  pleasing  effect.  On  the  north 
side  are  the  glass  houses,  which  we  will  deal  with  presently.  On 
their  sides  are  frames  in  which  is  a  good  stock  of  border  Carna¬ 
tions,  chiefly  seifs  and  yellow'*  grounds,  looking  wonderfully  well. 
'^Chrysanthemums,  too,  give  evidence  of  careful  attention,  while 
a  batch  of  Cyclamen  claims  notice.  They  have  been  raised  by 
Mr.  Marsden,  the  gardener  here,  from  seed,  and  the  flowers  are 
particularly  rich  in  colour. 
No.  2  kitchen  garden  is  about  one  and  a  quarter  to  one  and 
a  half  acres  in  extent.  On  the  north  side  is  a  very  fine  Beech 
hedge  which  shelters  a  seed  border.  On  the  south  side  is  an 
orchard  of  Apples,  and  Plums.  In  this  garden  are  bush  fruit, 
Red  Currants  and  Gooseberries  principally;  Raspberries  do  well 
'here,  but  with  the  fruit  trees  generally  Mr.  Marsden  has  dealt 
vigorously.  When  taking  over  the  charge  here  three  years  ago 
he  applied  the  knife  and  saw  to  some  purpose,  taking  away,  pei-- 
Tiaps,  half  of  the  wood,  thus  alloiving  the  penetration  of  sun  and 
•  air,  the  result  being  a  yearly  improvement  in  fruiting  capacities. 
"Then,  in, stead  of  cutting  back  the  whole  of  the  growths  year  by 
year,  the  leads  w'ere  left,  and  there  is  now  a  prospect  of  abundance 
of  bloom,  these  growths  being  covered  with  fruit  buds  their 
whole  length. 
The  Glass  Houses. 
The  arrangement  here  is  a  lean-to  corridor  facing  south,  with 
the  various  span-roofed  houses  running  off  at  intervals,  and 
occupying  the  whole  of  the  northern  side  of  No.  1  kitchen  garden, 
and  at  the  back  of  the  corridor  are  well-arranged  departments  : 
potting  hou.se,  fruit  house,  &c.  The  houses  are  modern,  and 
built  by  Fo.ster  and  Pearson.  Entering  No.  1  corridor,  which  is 
30ft  by  10ft,  and  is  used  a.s  a  flow'ering  house,  one  is  struck  by 
some  magnificent  Dendrobiums  Jamesianum.  These,  though  not 
quite  at  their  best  at  the  time  of  our  visit,  are  full  of  flower,  some 
of  the  specimens  bearing  from  forty  to  fifty  blooms,  and  some  of 
these  are'  4^in  in  diameter.  We  noticed  new  growdhs  27in  long, 
and  better  specimens  would  probably  be  difficult  to  find.  Here 
also  is  Rhododendron  Lady  Alice  Fitzwilliam,  Acacias,  Genistas, 
Arums,  Azalea  indica  full  of  bloom,  Olivias  (the  Milneri  type 
being  fine) ;  also  very  fine  Lycaste  Skinneri,  Tulips,  Cinerarias, 
and,  hanging  above,  are  Asparagus  Sprengeri.  From  this  cor¬ 
ridor  enianates  the  propagating  or  Croton  hou.se,  30ft  by  12ft, 
AND  COTRAGF  GARDENER. 
and  in  this  are  sucli  varieties  as  Countess,  Superba,  Warreni, 
Heathi  olegans,  Mrs.  Dorman,  Queen  Victoria,  Pi'incess  of 
Wales,  Sinitziiiianus,  Readi,  HUnetamensis,  Ac. — plants  of  good 
form  and  grand  colour.  Some  are  “ringed,”  and  will  make 
magnificent  specimens,  fit  for  the  exhibition  tent.  Here  are 
also  the  Nepenthes,  consisting  of  Mastersi,  Hookeri,  Domini, 
and  mixta,  the  last  of  whicli  is  the  favourite  here.  .  Some 
grand  pitchers  are  to  be  seen,  and  the  young  growth  is  parti¬ 
cularly  promising.  Later,  this  house  wdll  be  used  for  Cucumbers. 
The  Stove 
is  a  grand  house,  38ft  by  21ft,  and  one’s  attention  is  attracted 
on  entering  by  a  Clerodendron  Balfouri,  trained  on  the  back  wall, 
and  loaded  with  bloom  to  a  height  of  about  12ft  to  lift.  Next  is 
an  immense  plant  of  Hibiscus  roseus ;  and  a  good  batch  of  Ixoras 
also  claims  notice,  being  good,  well-furnished  stuff,  two  years 
old.  Thunia  Marshalliana  (alba)  are  beautifully  healthy  plants, 
showing  last  year’s  growth  of  about  5ft,  while  there  is  new  growth 
of  over  1ft  .  Calanthe.s  of  the  Veitchi  type  do  well  here  :  there  are 
about  sixty  pots,  and  the  growth  is  just  commencing.  Asked 
what  was  his  treatment  of  these,  Mr.  Marsden  replied  that  he 
found  fibrous  Kent  loam,  leaf  mould,  dried  cow*  dung,  and  a  good 
•sprinkling  of  silver  sand  answer  admirably ;  he  grows  one  bulb 
to  a  5in  pot. 
Conspicuous  at  one  end  is  a  magnificent  plant  of  Anthurium 
Scherzerianum,  showing  fully  100  flowers  in  perfection,  and  its 
luxuriant  growth  is  a  proof  of  its  good  treatment.  Here  also 
are  a  fine  lot  of  Dendrobiums,  about  sixty  pots,  including  Ain-s- 
worthi,  nobile,  Sanderianum,  Veitchianum,  Domini,  Cooksoni, 
crassinode,  Linawianum,  densiflorum,  with  some  fine  spikes; 
but  perhaps  the  most  conspicuous  was  Pierardi.  Cypripedium 
Roezli  is  .showing  grand  .spikes;  C.  Rothschildianum  and  C. 
Elliotia.num  being  also  good.  In  the  centre  bed  are  some  good 
specimens  of  Phoenix  rupicola  and  reclinata,  Bambusa  gracilis, 
Kentia  Fosterianum,  Abutilon  Savitzi,  Angrsecum  sesquipedale, 
Ae rides  expansum,  and  A.  suavis,  Vanda  suavis,  Dracaenas, 
Ficus,  Aralia  Veitchi,  Cocos  Weddelliana,  Panicum,  Selaginella, 
and  Pandanus  Veitchi,  forming  a.n  edging  to  this  bed. 
There  is  a  grand  lot  of  Cattleya  Gaskelliana,  which  is  a 
favourite  at  Mylnhurst,  and  they  are  coming  away  wonderfully 
fine.  Some  grand  specimens  of  Cattleya  Bowringiana  recently 
potted  show*  wonderfully  good  growths  2ft  long.  Guttata 
cri.stata.,  Laelia  purpurata,  both  in  .sheath,  give  good  promise. 
Some  Lselia.s  (including  anceps,  alba,  Stella,  Sanderiana)  recently 
ra-basketed  promises  well,  and  the  whole  house  certainly  does 
credit  to  the  .skill  brought  to  bear  upon  it. 
Passing  through  corridor  No.  2,  which  is  33ft  by  10ft,  we 
notice  a  nice  batch  of  herbaceous  Caloeclarias,  Malmai.son  Car¬ 
nations  (one  year  old,  from  cuttings),  Smilax  mediola  froni  seed, 
and  a  grand  lot  of  Hydrangea  Hortensia,  some  showing  thirty  to 
forty  heads  of  bloom,  and  these  wdll  invariably  produce  blue 
flowers.  Mr.  Marsden’s  method  to  procure  the  blue  tint  being 
to  use  alum  in  the  water  once  a  fortnight  from  the  setting  of 
the  buds  till  flowering. 
The  cool  Orchid  house  is  33ft  by  12ft,  and  contains  some  good 
pieces  of  Odontoglossum  cri.spum  and  O.  Edwardi  under  leaf 
mould  treatment,  showing  extra  fine  growth ;  also  O.  triumpbans 
in  spike,  Cypripedium  in  variety,  Cymbidium  Lowianum,  Ada 
aurantiaca,  a  nice  collection  of  Masdevallias,  Ac.,  Ac. 
Peach  House  and  Vinery. 
In  the- Peach  house,  45ft  by  10ft,  an  excellent  set  of  fruit  ivas 
noted,  and  on  the  back  wall  of  this  is  a  Camellia  which  was  quite 
a  sight,  bearing  hundreds  of  flowers.  The  vinery  is  a  three- 
quarter  span,  36ft  by  16ft,  in  which  is  Gros  Maroc,  Black  Alicante, 
Madresfield  Court,  Muscat  Alexandria,  Ac.,  making  a  very  pro¬ 
mising  show.  The  whole  establishment  bears  tribute  to  the 
gardeners’  art,  and  Mr.  Marsden  and  his  staff  may  be  com¬ 
plimented  upon  the  condition  of'  the  place  general^'.  Having 
thus  dealt  with  the  gardens, 
What  must  we  say  of  the  gardener?  Mr.  Marsden  is  up  to 
date  in  methods  of  cultivation,  and  he  believes  in  spreading 
know'ledge.  While  he  is  not  slow  to  adopt  wrinkles  or  advice 
from  others,  he  is  always  willing  to  impart  to  them  any  infor¬ 
mation  required.  Mr.  Marsden  commenced  his  career  at  Hassdp 
Hall,  afterwards  going  to  Allestree  Hall,  where  he  had  capable 
tuition  under  Mr.  Vere.  Later  he  occupied'  the  position  of  fore¬ 
man  at  Duffield  Hall,  under  Mr.  GilbOTt,  and  while  here  he 
attended  a  course  of  lectures  by  Mr.  Luckhurst  on  “  Fruit  Cul¬ 
tivation,”  to  which  he  attributes  much  of  his  knowdedge  and 
success  with  hardy  fruits.  For  seven  years  he  was  foreman  to 
Messrs.  W.  Artindale  and  Son,  nurserymen  and  florists,  where  he 
helped  to  carry  off  many  scores  of  prizes  at  principal  shows,  and 
it  is  very  ■well  known  amongst  exhibitors  in  the  Midlands  that 
he  is  fond  of  “  grouping”  ;  but  while  he  has  at  Mylnhurst  all  the 
nece.s.sary  subjects  for  successful  exhibiting,  “showing”  is  not 
much  favoured  here.  Mr.  Marsden  takes  an  active  interert  in 
local  societies,  being  on  the  committees  of  both  the  Sheffield 
Floral  and  Horticultural  Society  and  the  Sheffield  Chrysan¬ 
themum  Society,  where  he  frequently  enters  into  debate  following 
a  paper,  or  gives  essays  himself.  It  may  be  mentioned  that 
Major  Blake  (his  employer)  has  taken  a  keen  interest  in  some 
