New Iberia enterprise and independent observer. (New Iberia, La.) 1902-1944, 1910-12-24
CANE CUTTER NOW A PRAC
TICAL WORKING MACHINE.

An interesting demonstration o
n cane harvester was given las
Thursday morning at the Experl
ment Station at Audubon Park b.
George ID. Luce, Of New Orleans
who has been experimenting will
cane harvesting devices for Tho
last nine years. The machine
which he tested in public for The
first time yesterday is a perfect
ed machine, which will cut, tor
and strip the cane and load Tho
stalks in wagon.
Several men Interested in the
cane industry were Mt the park
and watched the demonstration
with interest. Mr.. Luce guided
his machine down a row Of cane
lie cut the stalks off even with
the ground. cut the tops and
stripped the cane. The machine
worked regularly.
The machine used is the model
and. Of course. differs from the
machines which Luce expects to
build for commercial use. The
model weighs about $500 pounds.
while the weight Of the manufac-
tured machines will probably not
exceed 1900 pounds.
The new machine combines en-
ginc-power with mulepower. The
machine itself is pulled along the
cane row by mules. In the dem
onstration four mules were used
and an extra span was handy.
On the rear platform Of the cane
harvester is a gasoline engine.
This engine furnishes the power
which drives the machinery. The
device is not complicated. The
cane is cut off at the ground by
means of pair of revolving disk
knives. Revolving steel brushes
strip the leaves from the cane,
and knives at the top cut off the
tops. The topping device is ad-
Unstable and averages the tops
The inventor says that it is be
yond human ingenuity TO make a
device which will cut every top
off at the proper length and cut
more than forty stalks Of cane 10
the minute.
The topping device on the new
machin is adjusted at the begin
ming Of each row of cane. The
device can be adjusted for six,
seven or eight-foot cane, or what
ever the height may be. This will
give averaged topped cane stalks
when the end of the row is
The wagon-loading apparatus
was not demonstrated. as the main
object of the inventor was to
prove that his machine would cut,
strip and top the cane. The dem
it was stated, was
made in one Of the hardest patches ]
Of cane in the State.
Mr.. Luce says that the machine
will cut, strip and top ten acres
Of cane in a working day and take
the place of seventy-five laborers.
In cutting the cane Off even
with the ground, Mr.. Luce esti-
mates that he can save about IL
per cent Of the sugar-producing {
end of the stalk. Cane growers {
10 not dispute the fact that the {
sweetest" part of the cane is {
next the ground. In cutting cane a
BY hand rapidly it is not prac S
ical proposition to cut the cane $
talk even with the ground. In C
his regard Mr.. Luce claims that 5
lis machine will be of great econ v
mic value. aside from what il may e
ave IN the way of time and la a
,or. Ii
He claims much for the loading y
eature. He says the fact that the s.
ane will reach the wagon without G
icing touched with it itself add Il
o the value of the cane. He says "
hat under present methods of t,
andlGng camel much rubbish is il
licked up with the cane, which
oes only to add to the cost of re- Il
ming. b.
Everybody at the demonstration &c
'as forced to admit that the ma 5,
hine did exactly what Mr.. Luce lir
laimed it would do. G,
Mr.. Luce is not the only man in c,
merica who has been trying TO CT
effect a can harvester. Mr..
adley. Of indianapolis Ind, has W
zen working for several years CO
|, A harvester. lie is the man III
no invented the corn harvester. es
feat which twenty years ago was pa
,elarcd to be an impossibility. su
The Hadley machine. if per- ga
cted, will run in the field by IN
'nerated power and top each dr.
ak TO the exact length, it being no
e opinion Of MIR. Luce that an its
'crage topping is the best that
n be expected, n.
Mr.. Luce is certain he has per- -
cted a commercial machine and