The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1902-06-20
THE COTTON PICKER.


l trust you will give space to the
following in reply to your editorial
on May 22d, on Revolution of the
Cotton Industry" am very we'll
acquainted with Mr.. 8. 81. McKib-
ben. president. and Mr.. +. r. Nor
ris, treasurer of the American Cot
ton Picking Company of Pittsburg.
Pa. l have given this matter some
little thought for the past few years,
and also know the ideas of the
above named gentlemen regarding
the operation of the picker. and
they have studied the matter very
carefully for the past 10 years.
Their intentions are to operate the
machine themselves for few years
to come, and in no way to reduce
the price of picking so as to
cheaper the price of cotton.
The ideas of the editor are the
same as those of a great many who
have only looked on one side of
the question. i. e., What will be-
come of the small farmers and the
darkies who pick the cottong In
the first place, the white farmers
and darkies who own the land. in
five years from today, will be again
as wealthy as they are now. Good
cleared land in the delta that is
today worth from $50, to $50. per
acre will be worth $50, to SlOO, and
desirable wood land will easily
double in value 1t is said today
that from So to 65 per cent of the
tillable lands of the delta are in
cultivation, and the darkies that
are so anxious to pick cotton will
be given all they can do for good
many years to come to clean up
land, and there will be other work
for them to do. AS the old saying
goes, There is always work for
those who want to work" 1t is
known fact that on the hill land it /
takes from two to eight acres to |
make bale Of cotton. and most |
of such lands require fertilizing.
Now, if the low and fat lands (the |
picker will not work in very billy
land) can produce cotton SO
much cheaper than the hills, then
the people of the hills will be able |
TO raise meat and breadstuffs at
good profit. as the cotton raising
people of this section today, so to
speak, do not begin to raise near
enough corn, and no meat at all,
and if the picker is a succ. ss-of
which to me there is 20 douht-it
will pay the farmers to plant cot
ton alone ] have heard it said
that if 100000 bales of cotton
were made it would not give a
cotton coat TO every person in the
world. AS you are we'll aware, the
supply and demand is increasing
every year, so there is no just
reason for the price of cotton to
go down, caused by the successful
operation Of the picker. You
further state that it will be dis
astrous to the business OF the cot
ton belt, unless labor finds other
employment. There will be just
as much business as ever for this
class of people; if they will do the
work required, as today most of
the farmers are aimast compelled
to get on their knees and beg Mr..
Cuff TO help them out and pick
their crops | am sure that bust
ness will not suffer and there will
be more money in the cotton grow
ing section.
What did the farmers of the
West do when improved machin-
cry was put on their land and took
the place of hand workers? Things
adjusted themselves. and so il will
in the South, where new enter
prises are springing up daily
The intention of the American
Cotton Picker Company is not TO
do anything that will be detri-
mental to the cotton farmers, but
on the other hand, to cooperate
with them for mutual benefit
At the present increased demand
for seed, just think of the i'm
mense amount of seed that the
picker will save thereby putting
extra money in the pockets of the
planter. 1t looks to me that if
the great demand for seed con
tinues, it will pay the farmers to
raise cotton for the seed.
These are just few points.
The cotton picking machine will
enrich the cotton grower to an
extent he has never dreamed Of
Democrat.
Spring Fever.