The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1886-11-13
THE PRORLEM OF THs CENTURY,.
Isractical success OF the Mason Cotton
Picker.


OF MISSISSIPPI sSth0 Hon. ). =. henuets
SON, Commits ioner of Agriculture Of
Georgia, aud NIessrs. John A. Cobb, Of
Georgia, and J. NJ. Holllngsworth, OF
LoutsiAna--men whose practical ideas
and long experience In the cultivation
OF the great Southern staple especially
fitted them for the delicate and res
ponsible task they had to perform.
The Harvester was tested by these
gentlemen In tho cotton field at Sumter,
and under conditions which dsmons>
trated the utility OF maehiue WHICH
is destined TO work revolution In all
the cotton producing countries In the
world. The report of the c0mmtttee|
is most encouraging and Is as follows:
THE. REPORT.
CHA~.EsroN, Oct. q, 1885.
TO Col. F: 9. Morehead. President National
Cotton Planters' Association Of America;
The underslgned, your committee
appointed by you at tho request OF the
Macon Cotton Harvester Company, to
inspect, Investigate and report upon
the practical operation OF the Mason
Cotton Harvesting Machine for the
benefit OF the National Cotton Plant0Fs'
Association have the honor to submit
the following report:
Your committee report that under
your authority they proceeded 10
Sumter, South Carolina, and on the
Goth inst. witnessed for larger part OF
the day the practical operation Of the
said Harvester In gathering seed cotton
from the plant in the open field.
Your committee are candid to say,
that while some little improvements,
In their opinion, as well as that Of the
inventor, have yet to be introduced
and perfected In order to present a per.
fectly practical cotton harvesting ma
chine for use by the cotton planter In
tho field, your COMMITTEES were most
agreeably surprised and gratiled to
witness In operation machine ap.
preaching so closely to practically
successful cotton harvester, and feel
that they can, with confidence, predict
for the cotton planter, machine that
will In the near future, relieve him OF
the most distastef1l part and expensive
item Of harvesting the cotton crop OF
the South.
Your committee would, Hrst, more
specifically and particularly report that
the said machine, with two horses and
one negro driver, was, In the presence
of this committee, placed In practical
working operation In small cotton
field near Sumter, s. q. The cotton
row was straddled. by the machine,
titus placing the same mechanism for
gathering the cotton on each side Of
the row of cotton plants. The team
was driven at the ordinary gait for
field work, and the machine seemed to
be, aud was, under the easy manages
ment and control Of the driver while
turning each stage Of its field opera
tions.
2. The machine gathered of fairly
clean cotton at the rate of 240 pounds
of seed cotton per hour, from cotton
plants that would not yield more than
one bale OF lint cotton to every three
acres, and your committee are satisfied
that, IL the trial had been In cotton
yielding moro per acre, the amount
gathered by the machine would have
been in the same proportion increased.
8. Your committee could discover no
damage done, In the operatlon OF the
machine, to the plant in any way,
either to the unopened bolls, or the
leaves on the stalk, but they are
pleased and Gratified to be able to re-
port that the machine practically dis
tinguished between the open cotton II
was intended to gather and the bal
ance Of the plant, gathering one and
leaving the other unipjured, which,
In the opinion Of your committee, was
the most insurmountable difficulty to
be overcome in the practical operation
of a cotton harvester. This difficulty
seems to have been hsppiiy aud most
successfully overcome by the peculiar
and ingenious contrivance Of the In
ventor.
4. Your committee report that there is
more cotton wasted upon the ground
in the operation of the machine thai
they thought wonld be allowable in
successfully work. ing machine, but they
are at the same time satisfied tina
much of such wssting was caused from
first, a slight defect in the depth o
the part that receives the cotton from
the gathering stems or fingers, which
can be and will be easily remedied
and second, in tho peculiar condition
Of the open cotton on most OF the stalk
for machine harvesting. Most OF In
/. cotton In which 1t was operated havini
I opened early in August, and beipl
subjected ~ the summer drouth o
; sanday land, was thus rendered un
duly sensitive to the slightest touch o
disturbances from the fingers Of the ms
chine in passing through the plant
, Owing to the condition OF the ope
Q cotton, as stated, your committee al
!, oat Jeff sod vs,tch mt the GREATER mar