The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-11-11
The Mason Cotton Harvester.

An important inspection OF the Mason
Cotton Harvester has just been conclu'
ded by committee ofthe National Cotton
Planters Association. The committee
was composed of Mr.. R. P. Duncan, Of
Mississippi; the Hon. J. T. Henderson,
Commissioner of Agriculture of Georg ia,
and Messrs. John A. Cobb, of Georgia,
and j. Nj. Hollingsworth, of Louisiana
men whose practical ideas and long
experience in the cultivation of the great
Southern staple especially fitted them for
the delicate and responsible task they
had to.perform. The harvester was tested
by these gentlemen in the cotton field at
Sumter, S. O., on the Goth instant, and
under conditions which demonstrated
the entire prscticability of the machine,
as they state in their report, which was
published in the Charleston Neaus and
Courier of the 22d.
Casually meeting Mr.. J. B. Laftte,
one of the best informed cotton men of
the United States, reporter of the Pic.
aqune questioned him on the subject.
Said Mr.. Laftte: II attended q
practical test of the Mason Cotton Har-
vester' in an open field near Sumter, S.
c., on the 20th instant, in company with
Col. F. @. Morehead, president of tie
National Cotton Planters Association,
and committee of practical and intelli.
gent cotton planters from that body. 1
concur in the opinions expressed by that
committee, that the Mason Cotton Har.
vester embodies the correct principle, and
in the near future its practical and useful
operation will be as complete as the
mower Ind the reaper and self.binder,
which for years seemed as difficult of
successful solution"
"Was the machine exhibited consid.
cred to be perfect success"
at was not. Mr., Mason informed US
at the outset that it was not so considered
by himself or his associates. Their
object was to satisfy the public that the
machine was capable of gathering at least
80 per cent. of the crop, and that its
operation did not injure the plant in the
slightest degree. The test was made under
adverse circumstances, as the field opera
ted upon was of sandy soil, and a drought
had prevailed for eight weeks. The
result Of the test showed 240 pounds of
lint cotton gathered per hour, as free
from leaf as if gathered by hand, with
no injury to blossoms, bolls or leaves.
The only objection raised was that there
was some waste by some OF the picked
bolls falling from the machine. This
was explained by the fact that the carrier
which carried the cotton to the elevators
at the rear of the machine were level
and without a protecting ridge. This
difficulty, it was explained, would be
remedied in new machine with a ridge
forming box FIVE inches deep"
"Are you of opinion that a perfect
machine will be upon the market in time
for the next crop?"
"I am confident such machine will
be placed upon the market by the Mason
Company. In my opinion, the picker
finger invented by Mr.. Mason bears the
same relation to the future cotton har-
vester as the needle with the eye in the
point bore to the sewing machine. Once
obtained picker that will discriminate
between matured bolls and other parts of
the plant, without Injury to any portion
of it, there remains only matters of me.
chanical detail as to its application /;
these details I am confident Mr.. Mason
has successfully adopted in new ma.
chine now in process of construction,
but which recent events render it impor-
tant for prudential reasons to withhold
from public exhibition until completed
and patents shall have been secured in
all cotton producing countries"
"Whilst admitting the vital importance
of cotton harvester to our own planters,
do you not consider that the same advan.
tage will result to planters in other coun.
tries?"
II do not. I believe that it is in our
country alone that the labor that makes
the crop is incompetent to gather it. Our
planters are in consequence handicapped
with the heavy expense of extra labor,
at high prices, to gather the crop. Tho
harvester will, I think, be scarcely used
in India, our most formidable competitor,
in consequence of the excessive cheap
ness of labor, and of the further tact that
the greater portion Of that crop is raised
in small patches and gathered exclusively
by the ryots who plant it. The harvester
can be operated quite as we'll on moon.
light or starlight nights as in the day
time, it only being necessary that the
driver shoold be able to guide the ma
chine over the centre of the rows.
Another advantage will be that ginning
can be carried on simultaneously with
the gathering of the crop"