The Columbus weekly dispatch., 1908-05-07
ARTESIA.

Go in, Caledonia and Melborne,
and win the prize to be given by The
Dispatch to the writer of the best
news letter for next week. This IS
the most uneyentful section and my
time too much otherwise engaged to
compete with you. But l viii vote
for Venice as the best news gatherer
right now Blue Eyes next.
We learn that some agent is sell
ing to the negro renters a cotton
chopper and will soon put a cotton
picker on the market If any man
with a thimblefuI of sense would
only think a half moment he would
never be gulled by any such hum
bugs. Did you ever see a blind man
pick cotton? I have, and he had to
: feel first for the stalk, second for the
limbs and third for the open cotton.
Can a cotton picking machine feel
| or see? Until they are made to feel
or see they will never pick cotton
without picking limbs, leaves and all.
A machine might be used after the
: cotton is all opened and the stalk
dead. cotton chopping machine is
more probable but altogether impOs-
sible. The chopper needs eyes and
! fingers just as the picker. It will
/ thin out the cotton, leave the burrs
and grass and if your cotton is
skippy it will cut out the cotton and
+ leave the skips. My father invented
/ the first cotton chopper and the first
cultivator or sulky plow ever used in
this State The cultivator was
complete success, but the chopper
was complete failure. The chopper
was so arranged that it barred off
both sides of the row and with re-
volving knives chopped out the cot
ton and left the grass, burrs and
skips. Where there was a space Of
IA or 20 inches it was as apt to cut
out the very first plant and make the
skips 80 or o inches. The ingenuity
of man will never invent a machine
that will cut out the hand picking
nor the hand hoeing. When an agent
offers you a chopper or picker ask
him if it can see. If he says no, tell
him to go.
Major Rowan says the reason a hoe
can chop cotton is it has an eye. I
asked him what about the gooseneck
hoe Well" said he, nothing will
kill grass equal to a flock of geese /
with their necks on"
Speaking about clever, obliging
railroad men, we have the very man
you are looking for right here in Ar
tesla. Do you know Mr.. Wilson, the !
station agent? If you do you are ac- I
quainted with the most clever and I
obHging agent on the M. & o. except (
hew. These two gentlemen seem to +
act as if they We're there to serve the /
company and its patrons and don't I
put on airs as if they owned the road. I
Conductor Hopper on the Peavine is /
another railroad man who seems to /
run his trains in the interest of his 7
company and for the accommodation I
of its passengers. I have never I
travelled with all the conductors on
the NJ. & o. but don't think any of /
them will come up to old Jolly /
Rodgers. He has a tact for making I
passengers feel as if they were at
home or visiting a good friend. He
has fine engineer, too. He pulls
his train as smoothly as a skate on
an ice rink and when on his train
you never know there is a low point
in the track.
Our old friend, o. s. Busbee, the
best track man on the Peavine. has
gone on leave Of absence of eight
months to visit relatives in South
Mississippi, and Mr.. Brayer, an expe-
rienced track man, has charge of the
Artesia section.
Major Rowan spent Friday in the
Queen City.
Messrs. jamie Billups and Sanders
Bradford spent part Of last week
pleasantly at Billups Gate.
Miss Efie Upchurch, the lovely
young daughter of our old friend
Tracy Upchurch, who is filling to her
credit the position of governess in
the family of Mr.. and Mrs Bat VIII
liams. is home on a visit to her par
ents in Artesia.
Mrs. L. A. Halbert. with her son.
Joe, is visiting relatives and friends
in the Caledonia country.
Messrs. Edward Humphries and
Arthur Halbert. two young farmers
on the ". W Humphries place, have
the pretuest corn crop in this section
We had light frost last Friday
but it did no serious damage.