The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1890-01-03
GREAT INDUSTRIES.
POMONA HILL NURSERIES, AND
TERRA GOTTA WORKS.
The Chronicle Gives an Account ot Two
of the Biggest and Most Successful In
dustrieS in the State.

The Chronicle Gives an Account ot Two
OF the Biggest and Most Successful In
dustries in the State.
tStaff Cor. STATE CHRoNICLE.1
Just two and half miles West of Greens
boro, near the Salem Junction, on the
mainline of the r. & D r. X are situat-
ed the Pomona Hill Nurseries, and about
one mile further West are the Terra Gotta
Works. Let US first give description of
these nurseries, OF which Mr.. J. VAN
LINDLEY is owner and proprietor. The
first thing that will attract the attention
of the visitor to Pomona, even before he
has seen one-half of what is to be seen, is
that the business is undoubtedly under
the control of man who thoroughly I'M
derstands every point connected with the
nursery business. Mr.. VAN LINDLEY has
been raised up in the business. His faith
er before him was nurSeryman and from
the success which the proprietor of Pomona
has attained in building up the largest
nurseries in the State it is very evident.
bt 81 e. the money which was made in the
BUSHES That MIR. LINDLEY has that natural
fondness for the business which shows
that he is filling the position for which he
was intended. These nurseries comprise
about 800 acres Of land upon which are
IdloCu LN Ahlf11 OL ITuIl-JrCGS. DcTrtSS
OF all kinds, flowers, ornamental trees,
tSc., entirely too many kinds and varieties
for US to mention here. We advise read
ers OF the CHRONICLE to send for the de
scriptive catalogue and become acquainted
in a short time with more varieties of
fruits than we could describe in twelve
months. The packing and shipping sea
son which just closed has been very
busy one, $4,000 orders having been
filled this season. The packing grounds,
in the centre of which is the packing
house, can receive $50 900 tree switch are
brought from fields when they are of suf-
ticient age and size to ship The grounds
are kept moist, as is required, with water
coursing through pipes, which is supplied
from windmill on the premises. The
grating house is two story building with
basement. The grating is done i'll the
upper rooms, while the basement is used
III cold weather to assert the different
varieties of fruit and flower plants and
cuttings. There are also on the place two
large greenhouses for growing all kinds of
flowers through the winter months. One
of these houses is 100 feet long. with a
furnace in one end and water pipes run
ming all through the ground and the heat
can be regulated at a moments notice, ac
cordlng to the temperature of the weather.
The other greenhouse has three separate
departments, each being 60 feet long by
IL feet wide. These are heated by the
hot water system, and in each is an ex
pansion tank to tell how much water there
is in the boiler, which is in basement be-
low. 1t is certainly treat to walk through
these greenhouses in the winter and feast
the eyes on the beautiful reshgrowing
roses and other bright flowers.
In addition to the large number of acres
of land in cultivation as a nursery, Mr..
LINDLEY has seven acres in different kinds
of orchards. He is going upon the prlnci-
pie Of testing his fruits SO that he can better
recommend them to his patrons. His
patrons now are found in Il States, both
North and South. He is also large ship
per of fruits, and is President OF the Fruit
Growers Association of North Carolina.
He gives employment to 100 hands includ
ing his travelling agents. Besides his own
comfortable residence, Mr. LINDLEY has
erected several comfortable cottages for
his employees. On the place is also Z.
schoolhouse, which has the largest attend
ence of any public school III Guilfold
county 1t is under the control of a com
petent lady teacher. 1t was cur pleasure
to go in the school-room and hear some of
the scholars recite. The school building
is also used every Sunday for church ser
vices. MR.. LINDLEY takes good deal of
pride in being the main mover in promot
ing everything that leads toward elevating
the morals and educating the community.
He has telegraphic and postoffice com
munications right at his door. He has
several acres in a farm where he raises
agricultural products for home consump
ton. We could hardly realize after going
over these nurseries that so much work
10, oh fo,,
only about nine years ago that the groun +
was first broken at the present site for the
Pomona Nurseries. Prior to that time
Mr.. LINDLEY was manager of the New
Garden Nurseries, but he has no cOnnec-
tion now with any other nurseries except
| the ones of which we are writing We
do not think it out of place to state
here that during our travels throughout
the country we have never heard an ything
save words of praise and recommendation
| for the Pomona Nurseries and Is the WORTHY y
| proprietor.
Just about one mile from the Pomona
| Nurseries are situated the
POMONA TERRA GOTTA WORKS.
This is a new enterprise started about
| three years ago, and the only work.
| of tho kind that we know of il the
| State that make ALL kinds of terra Gotta
| piping and fire brick. The ground upoI
| which these works are situated comprise
| about 80 acres. 1t was discovered here
that the quality of clay for making tiling
fire brick, stove bonnetS, &c, is of the
best kind to be found anywhere hence
the investment of several thousand dollar:
| in these works The main building is
three story frame building. The love-
| floor is used for grinding up the clay anc
moulding the various sizes of tiling and pip
ing. The clay is first dug from the pi
and carried by wheelbarrows to a partition
| on the lower floor of the main building
where it is kept moist. A man stands il
this place and throws the clay on moy
ing belt across which are tackled pieces o
plank to hold the clay. 1t is carried ant
dumped into the grinding machine ant
after it is thoroughly ground it is force'
out by pressure through what are known a
plates or moulds, which plates or mould
are screwed on over the mouth of th
space through which the clay comes afte
being ground. After the clay has bee
moulded into the shape of land tiliug, ,stov
bonnets, fire brick, stove thimDles, wei
tubing, paving Or hearth brick, &c,
is taken and put under long shelters GU
of the sun or carried up on an elevator i
the main building and placed for thoroug
drying. 1t is next put IN the kilns, C
which the company has at present thre
and preparing to build more). Th
motive power of these works. one .
horse power engine and 40 horse powt
boilar We noticed in WALKING oyer n