The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-10-21
The Mason Cotton Harvester.

A practical test or the MasOn COttOn
Harvesting machine was made in Sumter
Yesterday before q committee of three
frtm the New York Cotton Exchange,
and committees from the Charleston
Cotton Exchange, the Agricultural Soci-
ety of South Carolina, the State Agricul.
tural Society and the State Board of
Agriculture. The committee we're &C.
companied by the board of directors of
the Mason Cotton Harvesting Company.
The New York committee arrived at
Sumter at 4 q. m., by the Wilmington,
Columbia and Augusta Railroad, and the
other committees arrived at 9:30 a. NJ,
by the Central Railroad of South Caro-.
lima. About 10 o'clock the whole party
drove out to the shops of the Mason
Cotton Harvester Company, which are
located about half mile from the hotel.
On arriving at the shops the committees
and other guests passed half an hour
pleasantly in examining the fine tools
and machinery with which the shops are
equipped, and in having explained 10
them the several processes employed in
turning out the wonderfully ingenious
mechanism which is used in the harvest.
ing machines.
Everything being in readiness one of
the Harvesters was pulled out of the
shop, two horses were hitched to it, q
cotton field negro jumped into the seat
and the machine, followed by the visitors,
started for the cotton field, about one
hundred yards of.
To an observer of the machine, who
had never seen its mode of operation, it
would seem absolutely impossible to
carry it over the cotton plants without
tearing them all to pieces. Consequently
when the machine was driven into the
field and started down o row of cotton
plants, the faces of the visitors showed
how much they were surprised in seeing
that the plants passed through the ma
chinery without injury, while at the same
time they saw q constant stream OF cot
ton pouring into the bags which are sus.
pended at the back of the machine.
After running it over the field for some
time, It was suggested by the committees
that the operation of the machine be
timed in order that they might arrive at
an idea of its capacity. This accord.
iugly done, and as fast as the bags were
filled Others were substituted until q halt
was called. The cotton was then weighed
in the presence of all present and showed
picking capacity of 1000 pounds
day. The cotton plants from which this
cotton was picked were not fully fruited
and it was the general opinion that in the
rich fields of the far South and South
west the capacity could be counted upon
to be much greater. The machined.
picked cotton was then taken to one of
the Mason Cylinder Gins, which was in
running order on the place, and was
ginned out in the presence of the com.
pany. The Gin worked superbly, and
everybody present was delighted with its
capacity, with the beautiful condition of
the lint cotton turned out, and with the
perfect safety to the ginner with which it
can be operated. Several members Of
the different committees bundled up
samples to take home with them, that
they might show the cotton which they
had seen in few minutes picked from
the field by one of Mason's machines
and converted into such beautiful lint by
Mason's Gin.
An hour or two more was spent at the
shops examining other Haryesters of
varying styles and in different stages of
completion, when the party drove back
to the hotel.
Among those present was Mr.. W. L..
Langley, of New York. This gentleman,
who is mechanical engineer, and hear
ing that committee from the New York
Cotton Exchange had been appointed to
come South and witness practical field
test of the Mason Cotton Harvester,
came down also as the representative of
Northern capitalists who own large plan
tations in Texas, and who for many years
have been endeavoring to secure prac-
tical cotton harvester. In response to q
toast, Mr.. Langley took occasion to say
that he had been more than pleased with
what he had seen that he had never
seen a new machine tested with such
successful results, and that he was pre-.
pared to report favorably to the gentle
men whom he represented. He was sat-
isfied beyond all peradventure that Mr..
Mason had discovered the correct princi.
ple, and that he believed that he had
solved the problem that cotton could be
and would be in the future picked by
machinery.
The visiting committees were invited
to stay over at Sumter and witness test
of the Cotton Harvester by moonlight in
order to show them that the machine can
be utilized at night as we'll as by day.
The committee, however, found it i'm
possible to remain over, and came to
Charleston last night. The committee
from New York will be shown the
Charleston ruins this morning and will
leave for New York on the midday train
to-day.
The Mason Cotton Harvester and the
Mason Cylinder Gin will be exhibited al
the State Fair of Georgia, commencing.
at Macon on the 9th inst, and at the
Alabama State Fair at Montgomery,
commencing on November the Sth.-
Charleston Weekly Neaus.
Protection for the Lungs.