The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1885-05-07
THE MASON COTTON HARVESTER.
A Clear Account Of tho Success Of the
Machine.
Eronl Bradstrect's.

n clear Account OF the SuccesS Oh tue
Machine.
From, Bradstrects
The Mason tton-harvesting machine,
of which so much has been said of late,
and to the general Introduction of which
the cotton interests of the country are so
anxiously looking, has reached stage
in its development as q new and useful
invention which gives positive assurance
of its practical success in common USE.
Without indulging in speculation as to
the great revolution in cotton culture
which such q machine will bring about,
and without entering upon description
Of its merits as an invention or sounding
its praises as a wonderfully ingenious
piece of mechanical construction, it may
be said without the slightest degree of
extravaganza that the problem of har:
vesting cotton by machinery has been
solved The machine was thoroughly
tested on the last cotton crop from the
moment when the first bolls made their
appearance to the time when the plants,
having been frost bitten, were dry and
brittle as glass. In all the stages of the
crop from first to last the machine de-
monstrated its perfect ability to gather
the open cotton from the field without
the slightest injury to the plants or i'm
matured fruit. The machine has been
too often described to require detailed
explanation of its construction here. It
differs essentially from all machines de.
vised for the purpose of gathering cotton
from the field in the important particular
that the metallic stems or fingers which
gather the cotton are 80 constructed that
they will catch hold of only fbrous
substance. The machine is hauled up
and down the cotton rows by one horse
or mule, straddling the cotton plants as
it moves along. The movement of the
stems or fingers is so adjusted that at
whatever speed the machine travels for
ward the stems travel backward at exact
" the same rate of speed; or, in other
words, the stems travel backward at the
same rate of speed as the cotton plants
over which the machine is passing.
Thus it will be readily seen that while a
large number of stems enter each cotton
plant, they do not jostle or tear the plant
in the slightest degree. At the very
point in plant where stem enters it
will pass out, and while in the plant, by
its revolution on its own axis, will gather
all the open cotton with which it comes
in contact. After leaving the plant the
stems pass into receptacles on each side,
where by reverse revolution they throw
the cotton off and pass on around to
enter the next plant for a fresh supply.
An average size machine has from $50 to
ITS stems in it. Only a comparatively
small number of these enter each bush,
probably not more than fifty. UP to the
close Of the experiments on the last crop,
which were continued as late as January
of this year, the percentage of cotton
gathered in one passage of the machine
over row was little over 30 per cent:
BY driving the machine up the row and
back again seven.eighths of the open
cotton was gathered.
The condition of the cotton gathered
was remarkably good up to the time
when frost fell upon the plants. After
that time the cotton harvested contained
some trash and leaves. This was due to
the fact that after frost the leaves being
dead and brittle would fall by the action
of the weather on the open cotton in the
bolls and would adhere to it after it was
picked. The average capacity of the
machine in cotton we'll open was 336
pounds of seed cotton an hour, or 1850
pounds day.
As soon as it became too late for fur.
ther experiments on the past crop, the
Cotton Harvester Company, of Charles.
ton, S. G., which owns the patents on the
machine, not only in this country, but in
all the cotton-growing countries of the
world, determined to spare no pains nor
means in perfecting the machine for the
next crop. A new iron shop has just
been erected at Sumter, s. c., where Mr..
Mason, the inventor, resides, and special
tools of the finest type have been pur.
chased. Several changes in the construc.
tion of the machines will be made before
its trial upon the next crop. These
changes will relate principally to the
shape of the frame work, the movement
and construction of the elevators (which
convey the cotton from the side recepta.
cles and drop it into pendant bags at the
back, and to the movement of the pick
ing stems. Messrs. Pratt & Whitney, of
Hartford, Conn, have just completed an
automatic machine for cutting the teeth
in the stems with marvellous rapidity
and perfection, and Mr.. Mason feels as.
sured that it is within bounds to say that
the contemplated changes will double the
capacity of the machine and will insure
the gathering of the cotton free from any
trash even in the last stages of the crop.
Machines of different sizes will be ready
to be tried upon the first cotton of the
next crop. It is safe to say that it will
be impossible to place many machines
on the market next season. The COM
pany will endeavor to demonstrate the
perfect and practical utility of the ma
chine next season by testing a few ma.
chimes in all the cotton States, and will
then lose no time in making ample ar-
rangements for their wholesale manufac-.
ture for the crop of 1886.
It is doubtless very unfortunate that
so much time should be required in the
perfection of the machine, but consider.
ing its vast Importance and the apparent.
ly insuperable obstacles which have had
to be overcome, its development has been
much more rapid than any of the other
great inventions of the century.
Can Such Things Be?