The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1886-11-06
THE MASON COTTON PICKER.
R.pur. Of Experts wAs Witnessed the Test.

ested IN the Mason cotton picker,
a labor saving machine which if
found to be practical in its work.
ing will save the cotton planters
of this section Of the country
thousands Of dollars annually.
When the fact was first announced
that a cotton harvester had been
invented that would relieve the
producer of great expense aud
trouble in gathering his crop, the
interest of the Southern planter
was Immediately enlisted. A few
days ago the Mason cotton picker
was tested at Sumter. s. c., with
the most encouraging results.
Col. +. O. Morehead, President Of
the National Cotton Planters AS
sociation, appointed Judge j. I.
Henderson, Commissioner Of Az
riculture for Georgia, Col. j. NJ.
Hollingsworth, of Shreveport. La,
Maj. R. p. Duncan, of Mississippi
and Capt. John A. Cobb, of Geor.
gia, q committee to witness the
test and submit n report. The
following is the report, which will
be of interest to the farmers of
this State.
CHARLESTON, Oct. 81, 1886.
To Col. +. @. .Morchead, Presi.
dent National Cotton Planters
Association Of America: +.
The undersigned, your commit
tee, appointed by you at the re-
quest of the Mason Cotton Har.
vester Company, to inspect, inves.
tigate and report upon the practi.
cal operation Of the Mason cotton
harvesting machine for the benefit
Of the National Planters Associa-
tion, have the honor TO submit the
following report:
| Your committee report thai un
der your authority they proceeded
to Sumter, s. c., and, on the 2Otl
inst, witnessed for large part o.
the day, the practical operations
of the said harvester IN gathering
seed cotton from the plant in thu
open field.
Your committee are candid L
say that while somc little improve
ments, In their opinion, as well 81
that of tho inventor, have yet t,
be introduced and perfected il
order to present a perfectly prac
tical cotton harvesting machln
for use by the cotton planter i
! the field, your committee wer
most agreeably surprised aud gra,
! i6ed to witness in operation
machine approaching so cIosel
to q practically successful cotto
. harvester, and feel that they cal
with confidence, predict for tn
cotton planter, a machine ths
will, In the near future, relicy
him Of the most distasteful pal
and expensive item OF harvestin
the cotton crop of the South.
Your committee would, firs
more especially and particular
" report that the said machine, wit
two horses and one negro drive
was, in the presence Of this con
mittee, placed in practical worI
ing operation in q small cotto
field near the town of Sumter, ]
G. The cotton row was straddle
: by the machine, thus placing I'll
:, same mechanism for gathering I'll
: cotton on each side of the row ,
: cotton plants. The team was dri
= en- at the ordinary gait for fleI
work, and the machine seemed
be, and was, under the easy ma
y agement and control of the driy,
while turning at the end of Il
: rows and during each stage of /
= field operations.
2. The machine gathered of fai
:. ly clean cotton at the rate of 2
!. poundo of seed cotton per hou
. from cotton plants that would N
. yield more than one bale of Iii
" cotton to every three acres, al
your committee are satisfied ths
If che trial had been in cote
!. yielding moro per acre, Il
: = amount gathered by the machil
: would have been in the same pr
portion increased.
;, 3. Your committee could disco
" er no damage done in the oper
tion of the machine, to the pla
. in any way, either TO the unopen'
= bolls, or the leaves on the stal
: but they are pleased and gratifi'
:, to be able to report that the m
= - chine practically distinguished b
- - tween the open cotton it was
" tended to gather, and the balan
!. of the plant; gathering. one NJ
" leaving the other uniDjure
y which, in the opinion of the CO.
mittee, was the most insurmoul
cd able difficulty to be overcome
k the practical operation of q cott'
is. harvester. This difficulty seel
mr. to have been happily the me