The patron of husbandry. (Columbus, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-03-18
Cotton Picking by Machinery.

" iuLuOH calIi dbu IL JuOTciOT0 pays
an important part in digestion.
Cotton Picking by Machinery.
In perusing the article on Cot
ton and Its Future-An Opportu-
pity for Invention" as appearing
in the Scientific american Supple
ment of February IL, 1882, one ac>
quainted with the cotton country
and the actual work of harvesting
the crop, cannot but be struck with
the impracticable nature Of most of
the notions presented. That the
devices described and the ideas ad-
vanced are chiefly those of men un-
familiar with the requirements
which they have attempted TO meet
is easily seen. 1t is surprising TO
notice that most of the cotton
picking inventions, as shown, are
the product OF Northern minds, and
this may account for their being so
foreign to the work which they
were designed to perform.
Three principles have been en-
ployed One is that of raking off
the cotton by points which are
coarse or fine, and grouped comb-
like or brush-like; the second is
that of applying spindIes on which
the fibre is to adhere and wind into
rolls; while the third is that Of sue
tion by an exhaust apparatus.
These principles, AS applied in
hand pickers for taking one boil at
time, are inferior to the bare
hand alone, and only offer super-
fiuous complications and expense.
As used in large machines to be
hauled over the rows, all 80 :ar
contrived seem better calcula ed TO
iniure and waste cotton than to
gather and save it. The inventors
do not seem to have taken into con-
sideration the fact that the crop
does not all open at once, and that
it mus be gathered by series of
successive picking, at each of which
only portion of the entire crop
is open.
They appear to proceed on the
erroneous idea that the whole crop
natures and opens 1T the same
time, so that it can be gathered all
at once, while the plants may be
dealt with, injured, or destroyed as
though they were of no further
value.
No planter will admit to his field
machine to pick the first crop that
will damage the second, or to gather
the second if it will impair the stop
crop" Hence planters have no use
whatever for such contrivances as
have so far been patented.
Where the rak:ng principle is in
troduced in large machines the
plants are sacrificed and torn in a
manner not allowable, while spin-
dies which scratch or drag through
the plants must similarly break off
the branches, leaves, and unopened
bolls.
If those m achines which employ
the suction principle have been
made to do less injury than the
others to the after>crop, they do the
VOTh llGllo UoteOI obU pOccOoo III ehO
highest degree a faul. common to
all, which is that of taking up with
the 6ber fragments of tho foliage
and bolls, besides dirt, etc., thus
greatly impairing the market value
of the cotton.
The fact is the question of har-
vesting cotton by machinery is a
most difficult one, which, like that
of gathering the great corn crop of
the North by similar means, has
baf1ed the best genius of our coun-
try, and, unless some other princi-
Piles than those in the machines
thus far patented can be introduced,
the problem must remain unsolved.
Let those who wish to exercise their
ingenuity in this direction not for
get that cotton harvesting extends
over period of two or three
months in any glven field; that the
cotton when gathered is valuable in
proportion as it is clean-free from
leaf, dirt, trash, etc., and no ma~
chinery IN which these considera-
tions are ignored stands any chance
of superseding the nimble fingers
of a young darky.-Prof. G. Y.
Riley, an Scientific american.