The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1902-05-21
COTTON PICKING.
A New Invention That Gives
Promise of Successful Work
in the Field.

| ia thS tSIus
Manufacturers Record, May 15, 1902.
For several years an inventor of
cotton-picking machine has been try
ing developn,e nts of his invention IL
the Mississippi Delta. Two years agt
the inventor, Mr.. Angus Campbell
and his backer, Mr.. L. r.. Morris, used
the machine to pick cotton in such 6
way as TO impress the spectators with
its success. The two gentlemen, how
ever, were not satisfied with the ma
chine in every respect, and since then
| they have been remedying what they
thonght to be its weak points. Hav-
ing perfected the machine, they signed
last month contracts for five machines
to pick 1000 acres of cotton in the
Delta next fall. In a letter to the
Manufacturers Record Mr.. j. S. Weiss
of Greenville, Miss, writes:
1 have watched very closely for the
past five years the cotton picking ma
chine patented by Mr.. Angus Camp.
bell, which is owned and operated BY
the American Cotton Picking Co. of
Plttsburg, Pa.
am perfectly satisfied, beyond any
question of doubt, that Mr.. Campbell
has solved the question of picking cot
ton with his machine, and it does even
better work than is claimed for it.
On the 10Th day of last October 1
saw the machine in operation at Col
onel Morgan's place at LSheppards )wn,
Leaore County, Mississippi, and saw
the machine pick 93.7 per cent. of cot.
ton that was open on the row, without
destroying the leaves, bolls or stalks in
any shape or manner. l have also seen
the machine at work before frost,
never a green leaf, boil, bloom or
square being hurt.
One could not tell that the machine
had been in the field, excepting that
the lint was missing. Strange as it
may seem, the machine only takes the
lint, but of course If there happens to
be piece of dead leaf on an open
boil it takes it along just as one does
picking It by hand, which, of course, is
cleaned before the cotton is ginned.
think 1 am safe in saying that the
farmers of this great Delta only har-
vested about rs per cent. of their clop
this season, and think il is a question
of very short time when Mr.. Camp
bell will have his machine at point
where he will get 100 per cent.
AS before stated that the machine
picked 93.7 per cent, however, the
other G.3 per cent. does not go to
waste, as the planter can gather it if
he 80 chooses.
1 dOn't think the machine will work
in very hilly land, but it does the work
to perfection in fiat and low lands.
The machine will pick at least three
bales per day, and has already picked
as high as five. Every planter with
whom have talked and who has seen
the machine work is more than pleased
with it.
In my estimation the cotton farmers
of the South are about to receive their
greatest boon. 1t goes without saying,
as, TO my mind, the question has been
solved regarding the harvesting of
cotton.
The signing of the contract indicates
a faith in the efficiency of the machine,
which, if realized, means almost a
revolution in agriculture and industry
In the South within the next few years.
The substitution of machinery for man
in gathering the cotton crop has long
been a dream, with most substantial
rea ons why 1t should become fact
Aghin and again an invention to that
end has been announced, only to bring
disappointment without destroying the
hope. The success of the Campbell
picker must result in an enormous
economy in bringing the cotton to tht
gin, one estimate being that It viii
nearly halve the expense, in the encour
agement of more scientific methods IL
cul,ivating cotton, thereby permitting
greater area of land and greater hu
man energy to be employed in tn,
, raising of other crops. OF special i'm
portance, though, is the promise in th
invention of the release from the cot
ton fields of a great mass of labor int,
other lines of industry required fo
I. the full development of Southern re
sources, and wonderful change TO
the better from present conditions, il
/ which the opening up OF timber tract
8 the extension of o railroad, the startin
of cotton mill or the development 9
coal or iron mine draws often at til
most inopportune moment needed hel
from the fields, or sudden rise in u,
price of cotton tends to attract needle
help from manufacturing undertal
ings.
This balancing of labor conditions
likely TO be accompanied by balaucip
of agricultural ones. The use of cottol
picking machines must tend to linn
growing TO sections where gre
I areas of land, devoted principally
| cotton, may be under one managomen
| as the use of such machine by u
oultiyator of one acre or ten acr
would hardly be economical, IL pos