The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1899-02-08
MONKEYS AsCOTToN PICKERs.
An Interesting Experiment Being
Tried in Mississippi Cotton Fields.

Irled IN Mississippi CoLLon fleldS.
Mr. Tom G. Lane contributes the fol,
lowing to the Southern Cotton Planters
Journal Two years ago. at the Eicks
burg fair in the fall of 1896, as Prof
s. NJ. Tracey and Mr. W. W Mangrum
were watching some trained monkeys
perform their various tricks Professor
Tracey said to Mr.. Manerum: AS sure
as you are alive. Mangrum, those mon
keys can be taughtto pick cotton bette
and more cheaply than our Negroes do,
and perpetual fame will be the part of
the man who first tried the experiment.
At first NIr. Mangum was inclined to
laugh at the idea but the more he
thought over the matter. and the more
he watched the monkeys at their varl-
Gus tricks. the more he became con-
vinccd that there was something in it,
and the next day as he left the profes
sor at the Carroll hotel, he said:
well professor, have been think
ing over your suggestion Of teaching
monkeys to pick cotton. and | am de-
termincd to try the thing and see if it
will work. They have been taught to
do much more difficult things than that,
and am almost sure they can be taught
to pick cotton. We can't rely on the
Niggcrs much longer, and next fall am
going to buy me dozen monkeys and
see what can be done The next fall,
that is in September Of 1897, Mr.. Man
grum hunted up the owner and trainer
of ten trained monkeys in New York
City, and make arrangements both to
buy the monkeys, and to get the ser
vices Of their trainer who understood
the business, and assured Mr.. Mangrum
that it would the simplest thing imagi
nable to teach monkeys to pick cotton.
These were placed upon one Of Mr..
Mangum's Mississippi plantations about
the middle of September Of that year,
and the training began. The monkeys
belonged to the race known to scien-
lists as Sphagtalis Vulgaris: and the
males weigh about 10 pounds and the
females about 80 pounds each. Bags
we're made for each monkey, which
would hold about 25 lbs Of seed cotton,
and bag placed over the shoulder of
each. 1t is surprising how rapidly the
trainer taught the monkeys to pick cot
ton. Baskets to hold the cotton were
placed at the end Of the rows, and one
man, over and above the trainer, was
necf ssary to take the cotton out OF the
sacks and put it in the baskets. The
females proved much better pickers
than the males, for they not only pick
cleaner cotton, but they would also
pick more Of it in day. In less than
a month after the monkeys started at
the work they could pick an average of
$50 pounds a day. They picked in
weather in which Negroes would not
pick, and picked cleaner cotton. The
cost of picking was much less, and In
every way they made much better
pickers than the average Negro.
The first experiment, although on a
small scale. proved to Mr.. Mangrum
that monkeys could be used with great
success as cotton pickers, so in June of
1898 he made an order for 800 monkeys
of the same breed, on an exporter Of
monkeys from Africa, with the under
standing that most Of them we're to be
females. About the first ofSeptember
uf this year the new batch of monkeys
arrived, and the service of the old
trainers was engaged to train this new
lot. But this was not such an easy
matter as was at first thought, for
many Of the new monkeys were still
wild. But the trainer thoroughly un-
derstands his business, having served
for long time under Barnum as train.
cr of monkeys Finally with the aid
of the ten old monkeys, who were OF
great assistance, and great deal Of
punishment and rewarding. the gang
we're pretty we'll trained by the middle
Of October
| have watched this experiment with
greater interest than | have watched
any new things in years. [ have kept
in constant correspondence with Mr..
Mangrum about this matter and about
the middle Of November | visited his
plantation near Smedes to see the mon
keys at their work | must admit that
it was glorious sight to see, and one
that did my heart good. The rows were
filled with monkeys, each one with her
little cotton s;cl around her neck,
picking quietly and orderly, and with
Il