The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-03
noSxKYs GOOD COTTON PucxKRs
Great Discovery mad by . Mississ1ppA
Planter Thre Hundred Monkeyw
Trained I'm = Month 90 Excel Negrsee
nm Picking cotton nc Oniy One-ThirA
Of the Expeuse

IN the uuBteT OF tue w.
ton Planters Journal. a most Interests
ing article entitled Monkeys as Cotton
Planters by Tom G.. Lane. gives an c
count OF a successful experiment with
the animals by a Mississippi cotton
planter:
Two years G at the vicksburg fair,
in the fall Of 1885. as Professor 8. NJ
Tracey and Mr.. w. W, Mangum were
watching some trained monkeys per-
form their various tricns , Professor
Tracey said TO Mr.. Mangum:
AS sure as you are alive. Mangum-
those monkeys can be taught TO pick
cotton better and morn cheaply than
our negroes do. and perpetual fame will
be the part OF the man who first srfea
the experiment"
AT first Mr.. Mangurn was inclined to-
laugh at the idea, but the more he
thought over the matter, and the more
he watched the monkeys at their vari-
Gus tricks. the more he became u
WINGED that there was something in 10.
and the next day as he left the profess
sor at the Carroll hotei. he said:
Well, professor. / have been think
ing over your suggestion OF teaching
monkeys TO pick cotton. and i am de-
termined 10 try he thing and see IL
it will work. They have been taught to
do much more difficult things thar hat
and l am almost sure they can be
taught TO pick cotton. We can't rely
on the niggers much longer, n next
fall / am going TO buy me a dozen
monkeys and see what can be done"
The next fall, that is In September OF
1897, Mr.. Mangum hunted up the own
er and trainer Of ten trained monkeys
in New York city, and made
ments both to buy the monkeys, and to-
get the services OF their trainer, who
tip1AVGfnaA tn, t.ofzn nNA aar
Mr.. Mangum that II would be the sim
plest thing imaginable to teach the
MONKEYS to pick cotton.
These We're 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 scientists
as Sphagtalis Nulgaris, and the males
weigh about Ito pounds and the fe-
males about 30 pounds each. Bags were
made for each monkey, which would
hold about 25 pounds Of seed cotton.
and a bag placed over the shoulder OF
each. II is surprising how rapidly the
trainer taught the monkeys TO pick the
cotton. Baskets to hold the cotton were
placed at the end Of the rows. and one
man. over and above the trainer. was
necessary TO take the cotton out OF the
sacks. and put II in the baskets. The
females proved much better pickers
than the males, for they not only picked
cleaner cotton, but they would also
pick more of II in a day. In less than
a month after the monkeys were start
ed at 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 in every way they made much
better pickers han the average negro.
The first experiment, although on a
small scale, proved TO Mr.. Mangum that
monkeys could be used with great sue
cess as cotton pickers, so in June, OF
1898, he made an order for three hun
dred monkeys of the same breed on an
exporter Of monkeys from Africa. with
the understanding that most OF them
were to be females. About the first OF
September OF this year the new batch
of monkeys arrived, and the services OF
the old trainer were engaged to train
| the new lot.
| But this was not such an easy mat
ter as vas at first thought, for many
of the new monkeys were still wild-
But the trainer thoroughly understood
his business, having served for a long
time under Barnum as trainer OF mon
keys. Finally, with the aid OF ten old
monkeys. great deal of punishment and
rewarding, the new gang were pretty
well trained by the middle OF October.
/ have watched this experiment with
greater interest than I have watched
any new thing in years. ] ave kept
in constant correspondence with Mr.
Mangum about his matter. and about
| the middle of November / visited his
| plantation near Smedes To see the mon
keys at their work. l must admit that
1t was a glorious sight to see, and one
that did my heart great good. The
rows were filled with monkeys. each
one with her little cotton a around
her neck, picking away quietly and or
derby, and without any rush or confu-
sion. When they got their sacks fun
they would run to the end OF the row,
where a man was stationed to empty
them into the cotton basket, when
they would hurry back to their work.
The monkeys seemed actually TO enjoy
picking.
That night / stayed all night with
Mr.. Mangum, and we had a long talk
about this matter. / asked him to give
me the plain facts about the case, So
/ could give them in the Cotton Plant
ers' Journal to the cotton rover OF the
south. Mr.. Mangum said in substances
II consider the day that Prof. Tracey
suggested to me the training or mon
keys as cotton pickers. as the most
fortunate day the south has seen I'm
many years. 1t means more to the
south than a cotton picking machine.
for the monkeys are a success as pick
ers, while the chi have been
failures. The monkeys are in every
way superior 10 negroes as cotton pick
ers. In the first place the cost OF pick
ing is only about one-third. Then they
are more careful than negroes. and pick
a cleaner grade Of cotton. Even In this
rainy fall, when all other cotton was
or a low grade. hat picked by the
monkey was all middling. and sold for
at least one-half cent more than thar
picked by the negroes. Then they viii
pick in weather In which you can't get
a negro In the field. In fact, / believe
that ii is the greatest discovery that
mas Deen made for the cotton planter
since Whitney invented the cotton Gin
People laughed at me at first when I
tried this thing. as they always do
when a man tries anything new. but
row that IL has proved a success. an
my are wild about IL. The
negroes have made repeated threats IA
Kill the monkeys but as yet they have
not lone so. and / apprehend no very
. great Hanger In this direction"