The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1899-02-23
~;NjNNSBORO, 4 S. G.
Thursday, February %, 1888
MONKEY COTTON PICKERS.

The experiment of a MlsslssipplE
cottoa planter in cheap cotton plcSlrs
has been going the rounds ofthe press
II is reported in reputable ssricu!-
trrs, naper. and so authoritative a
newspaper as the News and CourleT'
ALWAYS watchtul of all things spper-
+ei,ins to the interests Of the farmers
accepts the report Of the Mississippi
planters experience as not 81 sl' Sc
yery remarkable, and treats the e1'
nerimeat seriously. We art not dis
oosed to make fun Of it, for me
monkey is very Intelligent ihefe
cre,tnre. and he ha7 been trained 80
d. ,hings jast as remarkable as els
cotton picking business. We have
often hsd occasion 70 say inst hecs''
sity often forces al invention to meet
an emergency, and "a this instance the
low price of cotton is giVeu as tEc
rss,ou which lei the Mississippi p'sa-
ter to try The monkey as cotton
nicker. The cost Of production mus'
Ia. made less than the price pad iol
cotton, otherwise it become very
unproftable business 10 GO" anoV
sell cotton, and this Mississ ppl man
conceive d the idea of tryirg monkeys|
a.an economical method OF picking.
II seems that two yesrs sgo, $780,
daring = fair at Vicksburg, Miss,
Prof. S. NJ. Tracey ami Mr.. Maugrum'
the cotton planter, were wa.cal9g toe
tricks done by some trained moskeys'
and this suggested Lss~fro1. Tracey
that the monkey. could be trained 10
pick cotton, and be thought that they
could d, i, "as well az negroes or
batter ani more cheaply." Mr.. Man
yrpm was incredulcus, but the more
he thought over itsthe more favorable
he thought of the suggsssl"n. Finally
hs concluded t. make trial OF the
monkey. AMI in September, 1885,,
Mangrun bought ten trained monkeys
in New York city, and ai the same
time employed .heir trainer. Ihe
m ,nksys, the N.ws AMI Courier tells
rs, were pu. OF the farm about the
middle OF SepsenhaS>> A s;nAi oas
.saexog;a. saasA aassA Sover e pounds 7 Of
. eee szsaos pamal, and the ssSonlde'
tural ps5g4, fhe Southern Plangricul'
Io,r,a1ear.. ate.f
ut was surprising how rspidly the !
trainer taught the monkeys to pick ihe
cotton. Baskets to hold the cotton
were p,acsd at the ends Of the rows,
and one man, besides the trainer, was
necessary to take the cotton out OF |
the sacks and put it in the baskets
The females proved much better
pickers than the ma;es, Tor they not
Oniv picked cleaner cotton. but they
would also pick more Of It in day !
In less thau month after the monkeys
were started at tho work they cou!o
pick on sn average of $50 pounds
day. They picked i" weather IL |
which nsgroes Sould 30: pick, and
,1eksd clsaner c)tton. The cost OF
'Hckiny WAS much less, an! iii every
way they made much better pickers
than the average negro"
So much encouraged was Mr.. Aan-
grun by this first test Of the rnankey |
~ good and cheap cotton picker that |
he determined to ada to the force Of
his new farm laborers, and accordingly !
in Juue, 1898, he ordersd 300 monkeys
from au exporter in Afcice, "with the
understanding that most ~ a:rn were
to be females" presum .:'j re: use (
the females picked more cotton and
picked cleaner. The new m 'ukcys
were trained ':by the middle Of O:to-
ber' and put to work. The corre.-
poudent reporting the experiment.
writes:
II have watched this experiment
with greater interest than [ have
watched any new thing ii years. I }.
have kept in constant correspondence ;;
with Mr.. Mangrum about itsnd about
the middle of November visited his
plantation >nesr Smedos % see the
monkeys at their work. must adj
NIT that it was glorious hight to see,
aud one that did my heart goon. The
rows were filed with monkeys, each I.
one with her little cotton sack around
her neck, picking away quietly and :
orderly, and without an rash or con.
fusion. When they got their sacks
full they would run to !he end Of ths
row, where s man was stationed TOT
empty them into the cotton basket,
when thes would hurry back 10 their
work, rner seemed actually 10 en- I,
Joy picking. That night | stayed
with Mr.. Nsngrum and we had 8 long .
talk about the matter. [ asked him ,
to give mo the plain facts about the
case 80 could give them in the Cot
ton Planters Journal TO the cotton .
growers Of the South" !.
The News aud Courier adds that
''for tbu :aeat Of the scepticaly dis
posed" it reminds them that "there is
nothing intrjnsically improbable in
the seriouS nsrrati' >; that "monkeys, / :
Gs is Rsll known, even the widest
ones, babitually pick cocoanuts,
bananas, and such smaller things as
peanuta, pennies aod insects for their
own use, and it requires no great
stretch OF credulity, therefore, to be-
Iieve that the more intelligent species >