The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1884-10-18


charleston News and Courier
The cotton crop of 1884 is now
fairly open, and throughout the
cotton belt great interest is mani
tested in the success of the Ma
son Cotton Harvester. In many
quarters there are symptoms of
impatience because the machine
has not been placed on the mar
ket, or, at least, publicly tested,
and some of our contemporaries
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 re-
gard to this novel and extraordi-
nary implement, the News and
Courier has taken pains to obtain
accurate information in regard to
its development up to the present
time, as well as concerning the
plans and expectations of the Cot.
ton Harvester Company.
In the first place it should be
stated that neither Mr.. Mason nor
any of those associated with him
in perfecting his invention has en-
tertained any idea of placing the
harvester on the market for gen.
eral use during the present pick
ing 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 pat
terms in order that several m0difi.
cations of the principle might be
thoroughly tested before tho man
ufacture of the machines for sale
was begun. In pursuance of this
plan, Mr.. Mason has constructed
half q dozen machines in three
sizes, and since the cotton first
began to open experiments have
been made every day with the ma
chimes in a field of cotton planted
by the company for the purpose
in the town of Sumpter.
The result of these experiment.
has shown the wisdom Of the com
pany in avoiding hasty action il
the manufacture of the machines
Despite the greatest care ant
hardest work during the winte'
and spring to make the machine
perfect, Mr.. Mason found upol
first testing them in the field thi
season that there were imperfec
tions in construction which mus
be overcome before the machin,
could be treated as a practica
success. One by one, these de
fects have been overcome, an,
such difficulties as remain to b,
solved relate almost exclusivel,
to the gear for the automatic re
moval of the cotton into the bag
after it has been picked and de
posted in the receiving boxes o
the machine. The picking cylin
ders, which form the essential poI
ton of the harvester, gathering
the open cotton from the plant
or to the unopen fruit, work beau
: tifully and with wonderful rapid
ty. This part of the machine
which has engaged Mr.. Mason
!, whole attention for many months
: and the success of which practi
/. cally solves the great problem 0
cotton picking by machinury
scarcely needs any further i'm
/ provement.
The auxiliary contrivances 70
, conveying the picked cotton int
! the bags, being of less Importance
| have received less attention an
still need a good deal of modiflcs
{ tion, which must be the result G
patient and protracted tests. MI
) Mason, however, feels no uneas
: ness about these defects, and
confident that the perfecting {
J this part of the machine is only
!, matter of q little time. The diff
. culties experienced have bee
these: The picking stems gathe
t the cotton and deposit it so rapit
t ly upon the elevators that, /
1 heavily fruited cotton, the capa'
/. ity of the elevator has been iuad,
quate to remove it as fast as
4 comes in. The result is that til
elevators become gorged, and th
revolving picker stems force som
of the cotton already picked o
7 the elevators and throw it on til
+ ground. At the first glance thi
: difficulty seems triiiing, but, OWN
to the fact that only very. limite
3 space is available for the use {
the elevators, it is not an eas
matter, without a general recol
a IL