The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1886-04-15
agricultural.
THE COTTON HARVESTER.


led by numerous illustrations, writ
ten BY Mr.. Hugh NJ. Starnes, of this
county, which is as follows:
The machine is absolutely harm
less to the plant. No matter in what
state or condition the plant is in, or
at what season the harvester is run
over a row, no damage will follow.
The writer saw Mr.. Mason break the
stems of over a dozen burrs on a
thickly-clustered stalk, until they
were hanging by the finest flament,
and after the picker stems had pass
ed through not one was torn off. 1t
seems almost miraculous that this
could be as they were attached by
such light fiber. A darkey, bung-
ling into that bush with his fingers,
couldn't have helped tearing oft halt
of them. Had the burrs contained
lint the ligament would have given
way, of course, and the burr would
have been jerked from its broken
stem. But the machine has never
been known of itself to break boil
or a bloom in the field. Wet or dry
it does its work. | have seen cotton
picked by it in such wet and soak
ed condition that, when allowed to
dry naturally in the sacks, it became
as hard and caked as plaster of paris.
1t has yet its defects, of course,
and it is far from the object Of this
article to conceal them. The first is,
that as at present constructed it can
not work in cotton over five feet
high. That can easily be overcome
by making different sizes of the ma
chine adapted to ordinary and TO
rank growths. Nine-tenths of the
cotton, however now grown in the
South can be harvested with the
present size.
Again, the machine sometimes
drops little cotton from the picker
stems before they enter the box.
Also the cotton, as 1t passes up on
the elevators to enter the sacks, is
sometimes blown off in windy days.
This can readily be prevented by
covers, which have never been put
on except for experiment, because
Mr. Mason did not want any part of
the interior workings OF the machine
hidden from view while he was study
ing and improving it.
In the fourth place, a boil is occa-
sionally passed over and left ungath-
cred. This occurs seldom, and prac-
tically is of but little coD lence,
two trips generally cleaning row
thoroughly When a boil is acct
dentally left it will be gatheredat the
next picking, for a planter can run
over his crop so rapidly and so often
that boil left here and there is of
but slight Importance. This ire
quent harvesting must also nccessa-
rlly result.in better grade of cotton,
as the field can always be kept clean
in advance Of ram.
Finally, the harvester sometimes
tails to gather the lowest bolls when
HAT on the ground in the dirt.
That is difficult to remedy without
Introducing complications which
would seriously interfere with the
working Of the other parts Of the ma
chine.
But Mr.. Mason is hard at work
remedying, as rapidly as possible,
these defects as they present them
selves, andis confident of bringing
the haryester's present capacity Of
two thousand pounds of seed cotton
per day. and Of reducing the cost Of
picking to less than one dollar a
bale.
and all by one hand and one mule
1t is possible for the syndicate to
place the harvester on the market in
time Tor the next crop, as Mr. Mason
will himself be compelled TO wait UNI
I'll fall 10 test the changes he has now
in progress. They are in no hurry.
and do not hesitate to say that the
machine will never be sold until its
present defects are eiiectually over
come, be the time when it may.
But as these defects are trihing,
and as even with them the harvester
does excellent service, it is fair to
conclude that Mr.. Mason. having al
ready accomplished the most difficult
portion of his work. will not be long
in presenting the public with ma
chine perfect in its parts. When
lhat time does come, the present
declaratson OF the syndicate will be
the best guarantee OF the machine 5
actual efficiency.
Its cost has not yet been fully de-
termined as it is not known in ex-
actly what shape it will finally out
upon the market Mr.. Mason states,
however, that the price will at first
probably be about equal to that ask
cd ior a substantial reaper or Irvine
bnder-perhaps less say from two
hundred to two hundred and fifty dol
lars That viii put them within easy
reach Of anyone making twenty bales
and upward
The province of this article does
not extend to the effect Of the intro
duction Of the cotton-harvester upon
the industries of the South. lis de-
scription and history were All that
was c0mp8sSed In the .copc of those