The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1899-01-28
MONKEYS GOOD
COTTON PICKERS.
Great Discovery Made by a Mlssis-
sippi Planter
THE ANIMALS DID FINE WORK.
hree IL undrcL OF Them Iraincu IN
Month TO Excel Negroes ia Picking
Cotton IA OnlJ ODe-Jbird Oh she
Lxpcusc--.iOw IL was Le.srnen

Planters Journal, most interesting AL
t.cie entitled Monkeys as Cotton fisH-
t.rsp by Tom q. Lane, gives an account
of a successful experiment with the AMI
mails by a Mississippi cotton planter
Two years ago. at tho Vieksourg FAR
In the fall OF 1896, as Professor o. d.
Tracey and Mr.. ". w. Mangum were
watching some trained monhelS pe'lo'"'
their various tricks, hFoless01 ''"SN'
said to Mr.. A.angum:
AS sure as you arc alive Maheuin,
those monAcys can be- taught to PICK
cotton better and more cheaply than our
negroes nO. and perpetual lame VIII De
tls part OK the man NaO nrsl tFles TIE
enrolment"
AZ hrst Mr. Mangum was inclined 10
,.,t.h AZ tho idea, but the more h.
though over the matter, and the more
a. watched the monkeys at their various
tricks. the moro no became convincto
that there WAS something IN II, ana me
next day as be lett the Professor at the
Carroll Hotel he said:
We'll Professor. 1 have been tnnkins
over your suggestion Of teaching monkeys
20 pick cotton, and l am determined 10
try tie thing and see II 10 will work.
They have been taught TO do much more
difficult things than that. and Z am al
most sure they can be taught % PICK
cotton. We cant rely ON the nlsge!s
much longer ard ncNi TALL ! am Solns
TO buy me a dozen monkeys and see
what can be done
The next fall -alt Dr. In September .,
1881. Mr. Aiau hunted up the owner
and trainer OBJ $3.50 trained monkeys IN
New York city un made arrangements
both 70 buy tu. monkeys, ana 10 get
the services OF ther trainer, who under
stood the business and assured Mr. Man
gum that il would be the simplest thing
Imaginable 20 teach the monkeys 10 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 10 the race known 20 scientists
as Sphagtalis Nulgaris, and the males
weigh about 10 pounds and the females
about 30 pounds each. bags were made
for each monkey which would hold about
p pounds OF seed cotton. and bag placed
over the shoulder OF each II II surpriS-
ing how rapidly the trainer taught the
monkeys 20 pick the cotton. Baskets 10
hold the cotton were placed at the end
Of the rows, and one man, over and above
the trainer, was necessary 10 take tho
cotton out Of the sacks, and put II In the
baskets The females proved much bet
ter pickers than the males. Tor they not
only picked cleaner cotton, but they
would also pick more of II in day in
less than q month after the monkeys
were started al the work. they could
pick on an average Of $50 pounds a day
They picked In weather In which negroes
would not pick, and picked cleaner cot
ton. The cost Of picking was much less,
and I'm every way they made much bet
ter pickefs than the average negro.
The first experiment although on
small scale. proved % Mr.. Mangum thai
monkeys could be used with great sue
cess rs cotton pckcrs. so in June. ~
1898. he MADE an order Tor three hundred
monkeys OF the same breed on an eN-
porter Of monkeys from Africa with the
understanding that most of them were
to be females About the first Of Sep
tember OF this year the new batch OF
monkeys arrived. and the services OF tho
Old trainer were engaged to train this
new lot.
But this was not such an easy matter
as was at first thought for many oi tho
new monkeys were SIN Wild But the
trainer thoroughly understood his busl-
ness. having served FOR a long time nm
der Barnum as trainer OF monkeys FL
nally. with the aid OF ten Old monkeys
who were OF great assistance, and .
great deal OF punishment and rewardinS'
the new gang were pre,ty well trained BY
the middle az October.
have watched this experiment with
greater interest than / have watched any
new thing In years. l have kept ln ''p-
slant correspondence with Mr. Mans-m
about this matter and about the middle
OF November 1 visited h.s plantation near
Smedes 20 see the monkeys az mot
work I must admit thai u was a eloii'
Gus sight 10 sec, ana one that oiu H+
heart great good. The rows were h.lt'
with monkeys, each one win hel E,l'
cotton sack around her neck, p.cNlN-
away quietly and orderly, and w!ihoNl
anv rush OF confusion. When they Sot
their sacks foil they would run 70 me
end of the row, where man WAS eta
TONED 60 empty them into the cotton
basket. when they would hurry nac- I'D
their work The monkeys seemed ae'u-
ally 20 enjoy picking.
That night stayed al. night with Mr..
Maugum. ana We had "A long talk about
this matter. ! asked him t. give me me
plain facts about the case. 50 ! could
rive them i'm the Cotton Planters Jour
nal 70 the cotton growers Of the South.
NJ AanCum sod IN substance;
u consider the day that Prof Tracey
suggested 20 me the training OF monkeys
day the South h0s seen In many years
II means more % the South than COT
ton picking machine Tor the monkeys
are a success is plckers, While the ma
chimes have been failures. The monkeys
are i'm every way superior 10 negroes AZ
cotton pickers. In The nrst place me
cost Of picking Is only about One-tNifd.
Then they are more careful than negroes,
and pick e cleaner grace OF cottob- LNth
In this rainy fail. when all other cotton
was Of a low grade that picked ~ mo
monkeys was ali middling and sold Tor
~ least one-half cent uorc ttan Wa,
picked by the negroes. 1nen they WI,
pick In weather IN which you can get
a negro In the aeid. Tn fact ] believe
been made for the cotton planter since
Whitney invented the cotton gin. fro.
ole laughed az me NJ first when / Uied
this thing as they always DO Nnen =
man tries anything new. but now MAJ ~
HIS proved a success, an my hcls, 100
are wild about H. The negroes 49,
made reDeated threats 20 kill the monkeys
but as yet they have not done 50 ane
apprehend no very great danger IN TINS
direction" IL. ..yo,,
NAV saw 10 the cotton planters ~ tne
South that q IS a grand success. arc t.a'
next June I snall make a large IMPORTS
t,cn OF monkeys from Africa and that I
would IKE 20 have otner
nouia he nieaecd 10 correspond With any
one Interested ln this matter
7 heiieve that Nj Nangum Is n gTeaIer
haoefactor 10 the cotton planter thAn Et
1vbitrev 4 have just gwen MN az
order 10 import me 200 n,onkryh hen,
summer ard / feel sure 'N't w ~
scor be indeneudcnt Of the negro p i~r
Il Z