The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-10-09
MAsON,s COTTON PICKER.
The Work of the Harvester In the Whit.
cning Fields.

| The Work of the Harvester In the Whit
cning Fields.
The cotton crop of 1854 is now fairly
open, and throughout the cotton belt,
great interest is manifested in the success
of the Mason Cotton Harvester. In
many quarters there are symptoms of i'm
patience because the machine has not
been placed on the market, or at least,
publicly tested, and some of our contcm.,
poraries are even indulging in cheap wit
at the expense of the inventor. In order
to satisfy, as far as possible. public
interest and curiosity in regard to this
novel and extraordinary implement, the
Ncws and Courier has taken pains to oh.
tain accurate information in regard to its
development up to the present time, as
we'll as concerning the plans and expec-
tations of the Cotton Harvester Com.
pany.
In the first place it should be stated
that neither Mr.. Mason nor any Of those
associated with him in perfecting his
invention has entertained any idea of
| pldClUS LuC I1dl tSSlCl Ol VIC llldl hCI lOl
general use during the present picking
season. As far back as last December it
was determined by the company to limit
this years operations to the manufacture
of limited number of the machines of
different sizes and varying patterns in
order that several notifications of the
principle might be thoroughly tested
before the manufacture of the machines
for sale was begun. In pursuance of this
plan, Mr.. Mason has constructed hal!
dozen machines in three sizes, and since
the cotton first began 10 open expert
ments have been made every day with,
the machines in field of cotton planted
by the company for the purpose in tho
town Of Sumter. The result of these ex-
peliments has shown the wisdom of the
company in avoiding hasty action in the
manufacture of the machines. Despite
the greatest care and hardest work during
the winter and spring to make the
machines perfect, Mr.. Mason found upon
first testing them in the field this season
that there were imperfections in construc-
ton which must be overcome before the
machine could be treated as practical
4s.ccess. One by one these defects have
been OVERCOME and such difficulties as
remain to be solved reiate almost exclu-
sively to the gear of the automatic reno.
val Of the cotton into the bags after it
has been picked and deposited in the
receiving boxes Of the machine. The
picking cylinders, which form the essen.
tial portion of the Harvester, gathering
the open cotton from the plants without
injury to the plants or to the unopen
fruit, work beautifully and with wonder.
full rapidity. This part of the machine,
which has engaged Mr.. Mason's whole
attention for many months, and the sue
cess of which practically solves the great
problem of cotton-picking by machinery,
scarcely needs any further improvement.
The auxiliary contriyarces for conveying
the picked cotton into the bags, being Of
less Importance, have received less atten-
ton and still need good deal of modi6-
cation, which must be the result OF pa
tient and protracted tests. Mr.. Mason,
however, feels no uneasiness about these
defects, and is confident that the perfect
ing of this part of the machine is only a
matter of little time. The difficulties
experienced have been these: The pick.
ing stems gather the cotton and deposit
it so rapidly upon the elevators that, in
heavily fruited cotton, the capacity of
the elevators has been inadequate to
remove it as fast as it comes in. The re- 3
suit is that the elevators become gorged,
and the revolving picker stems force
some of the cotton already picked off the
elevators and throw it on the ground.
At the first glance this difficulty seems
triaing, but, owing to the fact that only
a very limited space is available for the
use of the elevators, it is not an easy
matter, without a general reconstruction
of the frame of the machine, to remedy
the fault. With one pair of cylinders
the machine picks about so per cent of
the open cotton in passing overa row
once, and very nearly cleans the row by
passing over it twice. Mr.. Mason is now
at work upon a machine carrying two
pairs of cylinders, which he calculates
will gather seven.eights of the cotton at
one picking.
Arrangements have been made to have
public exhibition of the Harvester
before committe appointed by the off,
GERS of the New Orleans Worlds Expo
sltion and members of the National Cot.
ton Planters Association. Col. Z. G.
Morehead, the president of the National
Cotton Planters Association and Com.
missioner General Of the Worlds Exposi-
ton, in letter to the secretary of the
Harvester Company, q few days ago,
makes a suggestion about the testing OF
the machine, which will probably be
adopted. Col. Morehead says:
"Mr. Mason, I think, designated taking
his machine out to Mississippi or Louisi-
ana and practically demonstrating its
worth or value before committee select
ed by the Worlds Exposition board:
This would cost Mr.. Mason a good deal
of money and not be any more eficia-
cious than what I now propose. Some
of the most prominent men in your State
are active members of the National Cot
ton Planters Association of America,
under the auspices of which the Worlds
Exposition is to be held. If Ifagreeable to
MIR. Mason and the stockholders of the
machine, 1 will appoint (by telegram, if
necessary),a competent committee from
members of the association in South Car
olina and add to it such other members as
will go from Georgia and North Carolina.
The test shall be made under the
auspices of the National Cotton Planters
Association of America, the head of
which organization in South Carolina is
Hon. A. ?. Butler, chief Of your agricul-
tural department, and who is yice.presi.
dent of the association for the State OF
South Carolina. l would also request
the Governor of your State aud the presi-
dent of your State agricultural society to
be presenl, all of whom will no doubt
join our ce.president in testifying to
the merits of the machine
The Cotton Harvester Company have
replied to Col. Morehead that the COM
nanv will he pleased to make the test