The Brownsville daily herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1897-1910, 1909-06-17
MACHINE TO
PICK COTTON
BROWNSVILLE MAN INVENTS A
HARVESTING MACHINE.
If Practicable, May Revolutionize Cot
ton Observation-Disclosures Explained
BY Inventor, Who Is Organizing
Co. to Manufacture the Machine.

A move is On foot for the organiza-
ton of stock company to undertake
the manufacture of cotton harvest
ing machine, which is the invention
of James B. Ledford of Brownsville.
Mr.. Ledford expects to organize a
company with a capital stock of
$40, 900, and states that one-half of
this amount has been subscribed.
Mr.. Ledford says that he has been
at work the past four years perfecting
his machine. He an experiment made
with a model of his machine in
Roger Mills county, Oklahoma, was
a success, but that he has been IN
able to push the invention on account
of lack of capital Mr.. Ledford
claims that his harvester can be made
at a cost which will enable the far
mers to purchase it at about 800,
and that at this figure the manu-
facturers will make a handsome
profit.
The Ledford harvester, the inven-
tor stotes, will look somewhat like a
two-borse wagon. The machine is
constructed to go astride the rows
like cultivator and is to be driven
by team of mules. 1t is claimed by
the inventor that this machine will
pick as many acres of cotton in
day as a team can be driven over,
picking one row at time without
injury to the plant. Mr.. Ledford ex-
plains the mechanism of his inven-
ton as comprising a series of cylin
ders so placed that they will revolve
when the machine is in motion. Each
machine will comprise 120 cylinders,
each four feet long and 1 p inches
in diameter. On the surface of these
will be placed needle-shaped steel
projections, there being 1890 of
these needles in all on the cylinders
in one machine. In the bottom of the
machine will be a slit through which
the cotton stalk will pass. Passing
over the cotton stalks, the cylinders
will revolve and the needles, which
protrude through a face plate for
one-eighth of an inch, will take the
cotton out of the boil. The slit III
the face plate is designed to be just
large enough for the needles to pass
through, and it Is claimed this will
prevent trash from being taken with
the cotton, which has been the weak
point with most cotton haTvesters
that have been attempted hitherto.
The machine, Mr.. Ledford claims,
can be constructed to pick cotton at
any distance from the ground but I'M
less specified otherwise will be made
to pick four feet from the ground
After the cotton has been picked
the needles it is designed to be car
ried by means of an elevator into
the wagon bed. Mr.. Ledford has Il
model of his harvester on exhibition,
and never tires of explaining its va
rious features. He expects to have
one of his harvesters completed in
time to make a trial test with this
seasons cotton. The different parts
to be used in the construction of the
he states, have already been
assembled and the machine itself
is now under course of construc-
ton
If Mr. Ledford's invention has the
merits which he believes it to pos
sess, it may be destined to revolution |
ize the cotton industry. eliminating |
the labor problem to a large extent, |
and making cotton a much more |
profitable crop than at present.