The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1886-10-21

Tor picking cotton from the field by ma
chnery, without injury to the growing
plants or to tho immature fruit. This
] continuance was the employment of q
pickingstem, or finger, about eight
inches long and about an inch in diane
Ter, on the surface of which were ar
rarged small teeth or barbs, SO pro
tected by adjacent guards as to prevent
} the teeth from coming in contact with
any material except tibrous substances.
Ihls principle Of picking cotton by O
sense o. touch, as it were, is the essen
tlal feature of the Mason Harvester,
without the employment of which it is
seif-ovldent to any one who has paid any
attention to the subject Mt all that tho
picking Of cotton by machinery would
: be an lmpossibility
Having tested by a number of export
ments the correctness of this principle
; OF discrimination between tibrous and
non-1lbrous material, the inventor gradu-
ally developed the. stem from it's first
imperfect and costly form of construc-
ton TO its present beautiful and efficient
condition. The evolution Of the picking
stem is in itself one of the most interest
ing and striking features in the dcvelop-
mcnt OF tho Harvester as q whole. Tie
hrst stems were made Of wood and were
SIMPLY small cylinders having grooves
cut In their surfaces, in which grooves
teeth were set, which were protected by
the shoulders on each side of them.
Ihese stems were made by hand with
great labor and included various forms
OF the same principle Later on the in
Ventor adopted a metal cylinder with
elliptical perforations in its surface. In
these openings teeth were set SO that the
points were disposed evenly with or
slightly below the surface of the Open
ing. Then came the style of stem which
Is now Ill use, being constructed of O.
metal envelope, the teeth being punched
out of the metal itself and being SIR
rounded by an opening which guards
the teeth from coming in contact with
anything except it be fbrous. Very
clear and perfect cuts of several of Ma
sons picking stems were published in
the April number of the Southern
Blvouac, together with q very interesting
description OF the whole machine. The
teeth IN the stems are punched by
special machine constructed for the pur-
pose by tho Pratt and Whitney Compa-
ny, of Hartford, Conn. This machine
Is capable of punching four thousand
teeth minute, and cost tho Mason Cot
ton Harvester Company several thousand
dollars
Having solved the problem Of picking
out the cotton from the growing plants
without injury to plant, boil or blossom,
the inventor went to work to apply the
stems to the plants by automatic
mechanism, SO that when the stems had
picked out the cotton from the bolls
they would at the proper moment re-
lease 1t, SO that it might be deposited in
sacks provided for the purpose.
Several different styles of machines
have been constructed. The particular
style of machine which was exhibited Mt
work in the cotton field to-day is known
as ''the Radial Stem Machine" In n
strongly constructed frame of hickory
ana ash are placed two pairs Of cyin-
ders, from which radiatc the picking
stems above described. The machine is
mounted on two iron wheels similar to
those used in mowers and rcapers. The
machine straddlcs the row of cotton
plants, the wheels passing along the
alleys. Therefore, as the machines move
forward through the field the cotton
pants pass backwards through the ma
cmne between the two pairs of cylinders
mounted with the picking stems The
cylinders are mounted on vertical shafts
and rotate backwards around their shafts
at the same rate of speed as the machine
moves forward. The stems, being Jour
nailed into the cylinders, revolye back
wards with them Mt the same rate of
! speed as the cotton plants move back
! ward. Thus, when the machine starts
10 operate upon row of cotton plants, the
horses which pull it enter the alleys on
each side OF the row, the stems begin to
rcVolVe backward with the plants, and,
Whlie thcy penetrate every part Of the
pushes' they do not IN any way jostle or
tear the plants. Now, in addition to the
backward movement of tho stems with
the plants, they have an independent,
individual rotation on their own axes
first III the direction of the points of
Their teeth, 80 a9..to catch the cotton, and
then, as they pass out Of the plant, in |
INC roVerso direction, SO as to throw the |
cotton OH by centrifugal force, When |
the cotton Is thrown Oft it falls on n con
Veyor, WHICH conveys it to q carrier bolt,
which in turn picks up the cotton and |
throws it over the back end of the ma.
chine into bags suspended in position to !
receive it. When the bags are full thoy !
are dropped and others are placed in 90.
sit1on. The machines are so light and
the machinery moves so easily chat they
can be drawn by either one or two
hIors29. The use of two horses has been
iouhu preferable, however, for tho rca-
son son that that they pull more evenly and
While the Inaqhinery, in order to per-
form the work successfully, must be
made with great care and cxactness vet
1T is by no means complicated, nor easily
derangcd: The public, no doubt, think
that the invention has been developed
very slow y. This, in certain sense, is
true, but in addition to the natural diff |
cultles which have beset the inventor at
every turn, it should be known that the
company has been ogGin and again
narassed by piratioaI attempts to inter
fere With their patents The company
has, however, fought out every case,
both in the patent Office and in the
courts, and the result has beon that it
has won every case up to the present
tlHe and has now long list Of patents
which cover SO broadly every essential
detail of the machines that the invention
may be sGid 10 be thoroughly protected