The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1891-1893, 1893-04-02
A COttOn.Pteker Inquiry.


Chronicle, Feb. s, 1898.
In the New York World of last Sur
day there was broadside advertisement
of the formation of a stock company to
float new cotton. picking machine
They seem to wish to sell stock, and,
probably later on, the stockholders.
Whist has become of the Smith cotton
picker! There was one invented by Mr..
Orrin smith, of Wake county, believe,
and proved practical success Persons
who saw the trial in the field report that
it worked well, but we have not heard of
it in years. What has become of the in
vention? II.
Editor STATE CBRoNICLE:
DEAR SIR: In your issue OF February
Sth there appeared an inquiry about the
Owen SIN tn Cotton Picker on exhibi
tion and trial in the middle part of this
state some years ago, to which l beg to
| reply. The machine proved practi
cable success and did more and better
work than all the combined efforts at
cotton picking machinery to date, and
have it yet intact with all the experience
and improvements of myself and others
in that line. But did not have money
enough to put it upon the maIk,t in
proper form, and being opposed by
prominent citizens and the agricultural
department as detrimental to the produc
| tion Of cotton in this state, where the
guage of the crop were the amcunt tfiat
could be picked out. For said they
Arkansas and some of the other
states can produce five times as
much cotton as we can here in North
Carolina But we can pick out by haad
IS muca here as they can, and with that
machine of yours we could not compete
with them and it would drive the cult
vation of cotton out of the State" Vita
this sentiment and outspoken apprecia
tion against me, and unable to 60 further
| had TO put it to sleep until such time
as could bring it out, and our citizens
should wske up from their Rip Van
Winkle slumber to find an hundred al
tempta all over the land striving for the
mastery # the very thing l had 80 well
forward some body else would-and all
the profits thereof. For it is an isex-
0rable demand and must come. II is 8
simple question of machinery of America
versus the pauper labor Of the world
| am now at work upon an improved
machine with advanced devices that GOV
ers all the ground, that answers the pur
poses that fills the requirements Of cotton
picker. am the first man that ever de
lvered bale Of cotton upon the MAJ ke
that was never touched with human fin
gers, and | Can enable every cotton
planter o. the South To do the same thing
for nominal cost. But l have to g,
slow, as l am not dealing in ''salted stocl
speculations," but in machines that tn
planter can own and work at pleasure
costing about half as much as the esti
. mated cost Of these gambling concern
> of Colonel Sellers, with millions in it
all on piece of paper.
Here is a machine costing about $40
!, each, gathering all tie eorton that
; we'll opened aid ready for picking tha
you can drive over III day at plow -hors
gait, without destrut tion to the CROWN
: staple, and you can 60 over the field once
twice or three times, at different seasons
10 as the lint matur g,
In January last examined two modl
IS machines in New York city, $50 Gale d
lc cotton pickers with capital of five mil
It lion of dollars to manufacture and trent
<, the machines. They would sell nothin
e but certificates of stock in the company
|. But the machine proved on examinatio
&c to be '.threasher," knocking the who
plant into one mass Of green and ope
;s cotton, stalks, bolls, leaves, grass an
4 weeds-all together. l told them the
20 might make bricks with that machin
r, but it would never pick cotton. Th
was the Blum machine of which 80 mu(
has been said through the press of i
efficiency and success, and for which tt
company paid for an advertisement
q, the New York papers Zone insertion
80 two thousand dollars.
~ Then there was the Lispenard M
- chine, with ten millions capital, and
:" five thousand dollar advertisement
- the New York Sunday World, whit
aa was nvthirg but little whe
br barrow concern that Was no INC
,,ss adapted to picking cotton tn
v it was to catching fish. 1 make /
NC statement of these facts to show the Il
-, portance of a cotton harvester that Q
~ citizens in Mott Carolina have SO stre
uously opposed.
VOC had my experimental machine
,er Raleigh and drove up to the Yarb(
5er 5s house and made proclamation that
700 who wanted to see the machine pi
~ ~, cotton come with re to lot near t
nd national cemetery and see it work, a
as. not one single soul would go. Twill
the ICE YOU ~ III. w.
ted was heep!nS 'ne no.ei d. lno 'ino
ber confirmation of this deplorab.e fs
But it is not many years hence when
,ho cotton will be gathered by machin
N for about one dollar a baie, whether
va made here in North Carolina or not.
A0o n D SnyTu