The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-16
COTTON PICKER A SUCCESS.
The Prfce-Campbell Cotton
Machine Picks 1000 Pounds an
Hour-Bolls or Plant Not Injured.

HOuF-BOuS Oh fIdHG NOt JUAO
(Bennettsville, S. c., Dispatch.)
The practical success Of the Price
Campbell cotton picking machine was
demonstrated on the plantation Of Sen
ator John L. McLaurin, near here, TO-
day, in the presence Of a large NUMBER
of planters and other citizens. Inc
machine picked cotton at the rate or
a thousand pounds an hour, WITHOUT
| injury to the plant or unopened DOLLS,
About 90 per cent. of the Open cotton
was obtained at the first picking, and
| bv running the machine over same
lows again it got about 80 per cent. Of
the balance, 99 per cent:
There was a considerable amount OF
trash in the cotton, but many prac-
teal farmers said they had seen more
trash in hand-picked cotton.
A hundred acre field Of cotton was
bought last summer from Senator
McLaurin by Theodore III. Price, OF
New York, for the demonstration Of
the machine. 1t was expected to be
here earlier in the season, but could
not be gotten ready till now No cot
ton had been picked in the field, and
the bolls which opened early in the
season had been damaged by dust and
smoke in he field and the foliage had
become dry and rotten, SO that the
cotton naturally made a poorer ap-
Learance than if it lac been picked
soon after the opening. Some OF the
cotton was ginned and submitted to
the buyers here, who classed it as
low middling to strict low midd1fng,
and priced it about half a cent below
middling. They said they had bought
a great deal Of cotton this season
which was not as good as hat picked
by the machine.
Upon the invitation Of Mr.. Price, a
number of Northern capitalists came
down Saturday and witnessed a pri-
vate test of the machine. They saw a
pale of cotton picked in an hour and
then ginned. They were fully con-
WINGED that the machine is a success.
The machine is driven by an auto
mobile engine and the driver sits in
front and steers the machine astride
a row of cotton. 1t moves over a row
as fast as a man can walk, picking
about an acre an hour. Two pre-
jecting moses" run ahead of the ma
chine, on each side Of the row, and
lift up the limbs that are near the
ground. The limbs are all gathered
up and pressed into a space about a
foot wide. While the stalk is thus
held, small steel spindles reach
through it from both sides, reaching
each spindle is a row Of small teeth.
SO short that they will not catch hold
of anything except the cotton fiber.
These sDindles are revolving rapidly.
and when a loci Of cotton is touched
it is caught and wrapped out Of the
burr. The spindles then move out Of
the plant, stop revolving, and the cot
ton is taken off by ribs similar to the
breast of a gin. It falls on conveyors
which empty it in bags at the rear Of
the machine. A boy sits on the rear
of the machine and packs the cotton
in the bags. The boys would not be
needed if the bags were large enough
to hold a round without packing.
Very few pieces Of locks are left in
the burrs. The cotton left is usually
in whole bolls or locks. The spindles
either miss them or else are already
loaded when they come in contact
with them. When a spindle ngages
a lock it usually twists it all out. Run
the machine over the row the
first time demonstrated the fact that
practically all the cotton could be got
ten the first time by doubling the ca
pacity Of the machine, which can be
done by frightening the battery Of
.spindles.
Angus Campbell. OF Pittsburg. the
inventor of the machine, is also here.
He has been working at it eight or
ten year years. It has also been i'm
proved by other inventors, working
under the direction Of Mr.. Price, who
has thrown his whole oul and energy
and vast financial into the
development Of the machine. He does
read the cotton market reports
wired to him here, SO intensely is he
in the tests Of the picker.
He spends c day out at Senator
McLaurin's plantation, and is usually
accompanied by Mrs. Price, who is
with him at the Mccall Hotel here.
To Introduce a Queen Bee.
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