166 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
November 13, 1897. 
PEOPLE WE HAVE MET. 
Mr. J. W. Moorman. 
The subject of our memoir was not born of garden¬ 
ing parents, but took to the calling from pure love of 
horticulture. 
At the early age of ten years he was employed at 
the floors of a tin mine, washing and cleaning tin 
ore, which occupation he followed for nearly four 
years, the next two found him acting in the capacity 
of a navvy boy attending on the men carrying their 
tools and fetching them rock powder for blasting 
purposes. Thus at the age of sixteen when lads now 
think of leaving school, Mr. Moorman had done six 
years of hard rough toil. On leaving this he pro¬ 
cured employment in a small garden belonging to 
Miss Baring Gould, at Teignmouth, Devon, who was 
a neice of Mr. Joseph Sabine, a former secretary of 
the R.H.S., and aunt to the great novelist—the 
Rev. Sabine Baring Gould. 
Miss B. Gould was a good botanist and an arcent 
lover of horticulture, Mr. Moorman gaining from 
her a rudimentary knowledge of both gardening and 
botany after a service of four years with her; and 
hred by a love and a desire for further improvement 
he engaged himself as an improver in the extensive 
gardens of Lord Poltimore, Poltimore Park, Exeter. 
After a stay here for nearly two years he was 
transferred to Poynton Towers, Cheshire, where he 
spent the following two years in the gardens of 
Richard Christy, Esq. 
He next made a sojourn of several months in 
Messrs. James Veitch & Sons' Chelsea Nurseries, 
being principally employed among Ferns, of which he 
at that time had a good knowledge. From the 
Chelsea Nurseries he was next sent to Sulby Hall, 
Rugby, Warwickshire (Lady E. Villiers), as fore¬ 
man ; and after a short stay here he was sought after 
by his former employer to take the charge of his 
mother’s place at Coombe Bank, Kingston-on- 
Thames, which situation he held for upwards of 
seventeen years, and through the kindness of his 
employers, the late Mrs. and Miss Christy excep¬ 
tional opportunities for gaining further experience in 
first-class gardening was afforded him. During Mr. 
Moorman’s sojourn here he was for many years 
actively engaged in the advancement of horticultural 
societies, and a frequent contributor to horticultural 
journals. He holds two Gold Banksian Medals 
from the R.H.S. awarded to him in March, 1879, and 
1881 for groups of Hyacinths, Tulips, and Crocuses. 
The growth of Roses in pots was for many years a 
favourite theme of his, and he has taken many first 
prizes at the Crystal and Alexandra Palaces, also at 
the Royal Aquarium, &c., when more encourage¬ 
ment was offered by the various horticultural 
societies for these attractive and much admired sub¬ 
jects than now. 
At the local shows many a first prize card was 
attached to his collections of cut Roses for which he 
had a long and successful career, as well as gaining 
awards in almost every other branch of the pro¬ 
fession. 
But as a grower and exhibitor of Chysanthemums 
has he been longest known; he has grown them 
almost every year since 1866. In 1879 he was 
awarded the All England Challenge Prize at South¬ 
ampton for twenty-four cut blooms. He followed 
up this success the same year at Ealing, Plymouth, 
Manchester, and came in second for the first King¬ 
ston Challenge Vase, the fight for which, and suc¬ 
cessive Challenge Vases offered by that society has 
given more stimulus to the rapid development of this 
autumn favourite than ought else. For the estab¬ 
lishment of the Kingston Chysanthemum Society 
Mr. Moorman penned and circulated the notices for 
the first meeting, and remained on the executive of 
the society for several years until he left the neigh¬ 
bourhood. 
After leaving Coombe Wood, he turned his 
attention to landscape work, and was entrusted to 
lay out Camberwell Park (Myatts’ Fields), and while 
at work here he came under the London County 
Council, who, after it was laid out, had the control 
of the park, Mr. Moorman being appointed its first 
superintendent. 
About two years afterwards on the council 
acquiring Brockwell Park, he was promoted to the 
charge of this. His stay here was only for a few 
months as a vacancy had occurred in the meantime 
at Dulwich Park, which he was invited to conduct; 
and his transfer to this fine open space proved that 
he was clearly at home amongst the many Alpines 
and numerous other interesting plants that are so 
extensively cultivated in this beautiful suburban 
lung of London. 
After a stay of two years and three months he was 
promoted to his present charge at Victoria Park, 
which, as its superintendent, he has directed for the 
past four years, and the record of his work both 
Mr. J. W. Moorman. 
there and at Dulwich, we have been pleased to 
describe in these pages on several different occasions. 
In the springtime the rockeries and alpines at 
Dulwich Park afforded us much pleasure in inspect¬ 
ing them. The flowering trees and shrubs were 
varied and most interesting; while later on the 
summer bedding offered us much to linger over. 
After his transference to Victoria Park, the special 
features of the various styles of bedding were not 
only maintained but even improved. The spacious 
area of what should have been grass at the east end 
of the park, was trodden bare and black by the 
thousands of Londoners visiting the same for recrea¬ 
tion. All this has been transformed by Mr. 
Moorman, and the grass is everywhere green again. 
Mr. Moorman has for some years been an active 
member on the executive of the N.C S , being on 
both the floral and schedule committees ; he has also 
acted in the capacity of judge on several occasions 
besides the present year, and has been much in 
request in the past to such important societies as 
Hull, Bournemouth, South Shields, and Northamp¬ 
ton. Mr. Moorman has certainly proved himself an 
all-round gardener, and it is as a gardener amongst 
gardeners that he likes bast to be known. 
-Oi l * 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
First-class Certificates were awarded to the under¬ 
mentioned Chrysanthemums at a meeting of the 
Floral Committee of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society, at the Royal Aquarium, on November 2nd. 
G. J. Warren. —This is very generally known as 
the yellow Madame Carnot, from which it originated 
as a sport. The blooms shown on this occasion 
were a considerable improvement on those which 
appeared last season. The colour is bright yellow, 
and the florets of very great length. The whole 
bloom is thus of great size, but rather loose in build. 
Mr. W. Wells, Earlswood Nurseries, Redhill, Surrey. 
Mrs. Palmer is a new Japanese variety, a sport 
from Mrs. C. H. Payne. The blooms are very large 
and exhibit a charming shade of rosy-buff, touched 
here and there with a warmer cerise. The centre of 
the bloom has a decided orange flush, and the florets 
have a silvery reverse. Mr. W. Wells. 
Lady Isabel.— When first sent out this was classed 
as an incurved Jap., but on later buds it developes 
into a grand incurved flower. The blooms are of 
extraordinary size, the florets being massive, and 
incurving quite regularly to form a full, high centre. 
The colour varies from blush-white to blush-pink. 
Mr. W. Wells. 
Lenawee. —Here we have a most distinct and 
rather peculiar type of Japanese bloom. As the 
name suggests, it is of American origin ; but should 
prove of value here also. The florets are long, tubular, 
and incurved slightly at the tips. The whole bloom is 
rather loose in build, and runs to lateral expansion 
rather than to depth. The colour is blush-pink. 
Lenawee was distributed in this country by Mr^ 
Norman Davis, of Framfield, Sussex, and was shown 
on this occasion by Mr. J. Ollerhead, Wimbledon. 
Mrs. F. A. Bevan.— This variety exhibits one of 
the prettiest types of Japanese blooms. The florets 
are of medium length and width, but good substance, 
and incurve charmingly at the tips On the upper 
surface they are bright rose, with a lighter rose 
reverse. The bloom is of medium size, and should 
make a capital front row flower. Mr. W. J. Godfrey, 
Exmouth, Devon. 
G. Foster is a fine yellow incurved Japanese 
variety, with very broad fluted florets of great 
substance. They are rather irregularly arranged 
with regard to each other, and turn both to right and 
left as well as towards the centre. The result is a 
bloom of distinct build. It is, moreover, of fair size, 
and will doubtless be heard of again. Mr. W. J. 
Godfrey. 
Mr. Chas. Birch was shown as a hairy variety, 
but the committee was of opinion that the hairs or 
thorns were not sufficiently numerous or pronounced 
to entitle it to be placed in this section. It received 
a certificate, therefore, as a Jap. The florets are 
narrow, thorned to some extent at the tips, and 
intertwine considerably. The bloom is of fair size, 
and should make a good front row flower. The 
colour is a glistening white. Mr. W. J. Godfrey. 
Mary Molyneux.— This was the finest of the 
novelties displayed, at least in its section. It is an 
incurved Japanese with enormous blooms. The 
florets are long and of medium width, rose-pmk on 
the upper surface, and pale silvery-pink reverse. 
The centre is full and high. Mr. N. Molyneux, 
Rookesbury Park, Fareham. 
Mrs. N. Molyneux. —This is another grand 
incurved Jap with long fluted florets, having divided 
apices. _The colour is creamy-white. The size of 
the bloom is remarkable. Mr. N. Molyneux. 
A commendation was proposed to N.C.S. Jubilee 
as shown by Mr. W. Wells. For full description of 
this charming variety see the list of Chrysanthemums 
certificated by the Royal Horticultural Society (p.151). 
—-- 
VICTORIA PARK. 
The Chrysanthemum show at this London park has 
been open to the public since the 14th October, and 
will continue so for some weeks to come. The very 
earliest varieties are past their best, though the 
general collection is by no means early. Mr. J. W. 
Moorman, the superintendent, has a stock of late 
varieties in reserve to take the place of those that 
go out of bloom, so that the show will be kept up to 
the standard for weeks to come. The roomy span- 
roofed house was originally built to accommodate 
Chrysanthemums, and is admirably adapted for the 
purpose. The plants are arranged in a sloping 
bank, rising in the centre and again at the ends of 
the house, on either side of the pathway. 
We noted grand blaoms of Lady Byron, Louise, 
Phoebus, Mme. Paul Lacroix, Pride of Ivladford, 
Wm. Seward, M. Pankoucke, and Mutual Friend, 
concerning which it would be difficult to speak too 
highly. The golden yellow A. H. Fewkes, is dwarf 
in stature and handsome. Other favourites that 
find their admirers everywhere are Mrs. E. S. Traf- 
ford, a bronzy sport from Wm. Tricker, also well 
done; the crimson M. G. Byron; and the silvery- 
blush Mme. C. Capitante, having (he florets jagged 
at the tips; the carmine Pride of Madford ; and the 
golden-yellow Amiral AvellaD, the pride of many 
growers. Mme. Paul Lacroix is a bold primrose- 
yellow Japanese sort, with broad florets. Mrs. 
Felix Perrin is pink and pretty. Commandant 
Blusset comes best on the terminal bud. 
Side by side with the most recent introductions 
are many of the old favourites which were popular 
years ago, including such as Val d’Andorre, and Mr. 
C. E. Shea or the yellow Mdlle. Lacroix. Besides 
being an object lesson by comparing them with the 
newer kinds, we believe the public are as much 
