The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-11-11
Same Number Of Pickefs Ac-
compIsh Five Times As
Much Work As Formerly
DESCRIPTION OF MACHINE
WHICH GATHERS STAPLE
Has Been Sent to Oklahoma for Dem
onstrations and Seems to Do
All That Is Claimed
for 1t.
BY HERVEY w. LAIRD.


| The presence in the county for the past
few weeks of the Lowry cotton picker has
attracted number of leading men from
all parts of the state and the United
States, drawn here to witness the opera
ton of what promises to be a wonderful!
! 1abor-saving device in the cotton section.
Among other visitors have been several
railroad men of national reputation
The machine has been shown and oper-
ated on the plantations of A. ]. Taylor
and Moses McLemore, and has picked out
much of their crops. The inventor G. A.
| Lowry of Boston,. has been with the
picker, carefully noting every detail, and
is now convinced that he has the problem
solved as he considers the picker com
mercial success.
When The Age-Herald correspondent
drove out to where the picker was at work
he found McLemore in a field that had
been picked over by the machine. Asked
what he thought of it, he said;
1.-THE picker has been at work on my
plantation for some time, and has picked
IS bales of cotton. The capacity of the
six boys on the machine is increased five
times what they would average by hand.
and it is very much lighter work. The
machine is simple and durable ana mex
pensive to operate.
Mr.. Taylor whose place is near by, and
who was seen later, put it this way; The
Lowry cotton picker has been IN opera
ton for several days. 1t picked about tWo
bales in twelve hours, using six boys
whose capacity by hand would be about W
pounds per day each, or one-thlrd OF
bale together The machine is very sim
pie. and can be operated by the average
plantation crew. The expense for gaso-
line, etc, does not exceed one dollar per
day"
Simple Device.
The Lowry machine is so simple that
even the layman can get next to all It's
parts II is propelled by the same saso-
line engine that furnishes power for the
piclxjng. 1t moves slowly over the field.
guided by the pckers, and is operated at
n very small cost The picking is done by
means of long movable picking arms.
belt of card cloth revoves over the end
of each arm. 1t is fitted with series o.
fine bronze points These points pull the
cotton from the burs and carry 1t rap
idly up to an elbow. At this elbow 1t is
taken IN by another card cloth belt ana
carried to a fan. which knocks IL through
a tube into canvass receptacle carried
on the top of the machine. AS the cotton
masses the first elbow the dirt Is blown
goes into the receptacle free OF dirt, Whlch
is then1ain cause of dscoloration. The
machine is operated by six workers, eacll
handling two picking arms. Ihese arms
are so arranged that they move Freely III
any direction easily, and the cotton may
Nc nicl,ed from the ground and from the
heieht of a mans waist by the simple
movement OF the arm up or down. Inc
propelling attachment regulates the speed
TO the density of the cotton. II there are
a few bolls open, rapid progress IS mace
across the field but If the cotton is very
| white slow motion IL used SO as " a.
low all of 1t to be cleaned up
Another feature of the machine Is that
| If is as good a cotton chopper as 1t cot
ton picker Small steel blades are substl-
tinted for the needles in the picker arms
and the same men who operated IL as
harvester utilize 1t as a hoe. In TINS
branch of the work 1t does about I'VE
times the amount that the same number
Of laborers would accomplish In harder
way.
PROGRESS Of Machine.
The machine now on exhibition is the
sixth one made under the direction OF the
patentor Mr.. G. A. Lowry OIL Boston. Inc
frst was propelled by mules. but II was
found that it moved too rapidly In the
second an attempt was made to carry all
the cotton through one large top, which
proved impractical. In the thlro' the re-
ceptacles for the picked cotton were
placed on both sides of the machine, ann
This nroved rather too cumbersome: ana
the fourth was somewhat OF an improve
ment on this feature of ii. In the nth,
Tho tubes were all made to center in one
general receptacle, and now the slxtn
seems to have overcome other ullncuities,
and so far as appearances go, II VIII now
harvest the crop five times as fast as
the same number of workers would py
hand and returns it in such shape as TO
sample better.
Invented Round Bale Preos.
,rheb FIRST work in the cotton business
| of Mr. G. A. Lowry of Boston came with
| his invention of the Lowry round bale
nress. which has been in use more or less
| in the south for the past six years.
with the manufacture of the cotton bale
press, Mr. Lowry attracted the attentioii
| of ]. F. 'Shanghnessy capitalist ot
| Huntsville in this state. One day In Bos-
ton Mr.. O'Shanghnessy said; Lowry
want Won to invent a cotton picker. There
| is nothing that the south needs SO badiV
| for the advancement of Its business 1T
| this great product as some sort Oh ma
chine that will make the producers moro
| independent of irresponsible labor than
| they are at this time. If you would think
out q plan by which such machine can
| be constructed and successfully operated,
you will be doing a great service for the
| people OF the south"
| Having dipped more or lees in the cot
ton business, Mr.. Lowry replied that while
| he was interested, h. would not for a
| moment entertain an idea of making an
automatic machine for the purpose OF
picking cotton. The only thing that he
could be induced to undertake would be
| something that would increase the capac-
| ity of the picker. Never having seen
| cotton field, and having no idea OF how
| the plant came to it's growth. Mr.. Lowry
asked Mr. O'Shangneasy 10 give him an
| explanation of the crop in detail. He was
| told that the cotton was planted in rows,
| so MANY inches apart; that it opened first
at the bottom, and gradually worked ou-
to full fruitage at the top; that 1t adj
hered closely to the interior of the bolls,
and that 1t took somewhat Of exertion to
gather 1t after 1t was ripe.
| xx-;+1, tIara cttgooStior1S Mr. Lowry be-