The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-10-24
Picking Cotton by Machinery.

1t will be gratifying to the stockholders
and others interested In the success of the
Mason Cotton Harvester to learn that
since the completion of the contract
between the Mason Cotton Harvester
Company and the Chattanooga Agricultu
raj Works for the manufacture of the ma.
chimes, the latter company has tested one
of the machines near Rome, Ga, with
highly satisfactory results. The Rome
Tribune in reporting the result of the trial
on last Friday sayss
"a very interesting trial Of one Of the
Mason Cotton harvesters WAS made
yesterday at Mr.. Strains field, about
three miles from the city, which satisfied
every one who saw the machine at work
that the problem of picking cotton by
machinery has been satisfactorily solved.
"The Mason Cotton Harvester Compa
ny, of South Carolina, has recently made
contract with the Chattanooga Agricul.
tural Works, of Uhattanooga, Tenn, un.
der which the machines will be manufac.
tured in large numbers for the market,
and the trial yesterday was not so much
an exhibition of what the machines can
do as it was an illustration of the princi.
pie of the machine for the benefit of the
superintendent of the Chattanooga Agri.
cultural Works.
"Before going Into the Wholesale man
ufacture of the machines, 1t was desired
that those who we're to have charge of the
work should be thoroughly posted as to
the effect ofcertain different arrangements
of the picking mechanism. The picking
stems, as they are called, were arranged
in several different ways, and all the
doubtful points we're satisfactorily exbib.
tied. Mr.. Pratt, the superintendent of
the Chattanooga Agricultural Works, who
had never seen the machine at work, gave
personal attention to the tests, aud when
the trial was completed he expressed
himself thoroughly satisfied that the
problem had been solved, and that it only
now remained to get the machines out in
good shape, and in quantities sufficient to
supply the immense demand. Of course,
the frsG machines will find the readiest
sale in Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana and
Arkansas, where the labor is inadequate
to meet the demand of the planters during
the cotton picking. season, where large
percentage of the cotton is lost purely
from the inability of the planters to get it
picked.
"Mr.sJohn P. Richardson, who is the
largest cotton planter in the South, and
wno has seen the Mason machine at work
says he estimates they will save on his
plantation over $4,000 a year. Mr..
Richardson is also President of the Chat.
tanooga Agricultural Works, where the
machines are being manufactured. The
machines, although required to perform
much delicate work, are perfectly simple
and can be used in any place where d
mower could be used. The essential fea-
ture of the machine is the picking finger,
several hundreds of which are in each
frame. These fingers are SO constructed
as to possess, as it were, the sense of
touch, and with almost human intelli.
gence they discriminate between the open
and unopen cotton and the bolls, blooms
and foliage of the plant. This peculiar
discriminating quality possessed by the
stem is due to the Use of teeth so guarded
and protected, on all sides, that the points
of the teeth can come in contact with only
fbrous substance. Consequently in
passing through the plants they catch the
open cotton and pass by the unopen bolls
and foliage of the bushes.
"Having completed the experiments
the machine has been shipped back to
Chattanooga and the gentleman who came
with it left also for Chattanooga yesterday
afternoon.
"Among those who witnessed the trial
of the machine yesterday were Col. Sam.
Morgan, Mr.. George Battey and others.
There was but one opinion expressed by
all who we're present at the test, and that
was that the picking of cotton by machin.
cry can no longer be classed among the
impossibilities, or as Mr.. Battey remark.
ed, 4 now believe that cotton picking can
be done without eyes (human.p "-News
and Courier.