The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1907-12-13
HARVESTING COTTON.
Something in Addition to a Picking
Machine Vet Needed.

Many dWenpts nave Deen mdue to
invent a machine which will pick
cotton. Several devices of this sort
have shown considerable fitness for
the proposed service. and continued
effort would probably result in the
development of a reasonably satisfac-
tory article. IL one were in the pos
session of the planter today, how
ever, 1t might not fully meet his
wants. The bolls on a cotton plant
do not all mature at the same time.
Hand picking makes IL possible 10
choose the right bolls and leave the
wrong ones. A machine could not be
expected TO exercise the same judg-
ment. The present system OF harvest
ing cotton has another recommends
tion. The grower could not convent
emily handle his whole croc at once,
and, as things are just now, he would
probably prefer TO continue TO gather
II on the instalment pla. Still, that
objection may eventually be overcome
by the perfection of a suitable labor
saving device and by certain other
Improvement which would make only
single visit to the field necessary.
southern periodical, the Manufac-
turer's Revord, makes an interesting
suggestion regarding the second OF
these possibilities. II points out that
II species of cotton could be pro-
duced by hybridizing in which the
bolls would nearly all ripen at once.
like the heads of most kinds of grain,
the planters work would be easy. II
he then had good picking
machine he could use il safely,
for there would be little waste
or other harm from employing 1t.
When that day comes perhaps much
more simple and less expensive ma
chine than the cotton picker might do
the work. Something corresponding
to a reaper might be sufficient for the
field. The separation Of the bolls from
the plants might be affected after
ward. To illustrate this possibility
THE Manufacturers Record tells a
story.
A few years ago, ii says, certain
region was visited by light frost and
then heavy one. The first FASTENED
the maturing of the cotton and the
second threatened to ruin the crop
completely. One ingenious planter,
however, cut his cotton and fed it in
to a wheat thresher, and managed TO
save a good deal of fibre Several Of
his neighbors followed his example.
AS a result about $2,000,000 worth Of
cotton was saved, though somewhat
damaged. or course, If a species could
be found in which the ripening Of the
bolls would be nearly uniform il might
be possible to follow the plan here
adopted in an emergency. Perhaps it
would also be feasible to combine the
operations OF threshing and ginning,
but even If they were conducted sepa-
rately the ability to cut the whole
crop at once would doubtless be con-
sidered an advantage.
What looks like the hardest job in
this whole program is the production
of a cotton plant all of whose bolls
would be reauy for harvesting at the
same time. Until the experiment has
been tried the feat ought not to be
pronounced Impossible, out lne cndnce
Of success is apparently so small that
the proposition is hardly likely TO re-
ceive much consideration. Even If the
quality here aimed at were secured.
something else-fneness of fibre,
abundance of yield or ripening before
frost for instance-might be sacrificed.
The prospect is so poor, indeed, that
anybody who undertook the task might
well be regarded as crazy. No one
except a man of Independent means
could afford to take the chances
about 100000 to 1-of failure, sup
posing, of course, that he knew enough
of botany to direct the work. About
the only rational way to attack the
problem would seem to be for organ
izations Of planters and cotton manu-
facturers to unite in raising fund
sufficient to cover the cost of the work
and to support an expert and his as
sistant for years while they were car
rying II on.