The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1912-09-19


surprises. This is true for the rea
son that inventive genius, attempt
ing and producing what would hay,
been regarded, in the 10Th century
most extraordinary, is now held il
higher esteem and its work matter
of course.
Buckle, in that wonderful book
English civilization, tells us that
there are no accidents in the world,
The most difficult creations, the
most marvellous discoveries, are the
product Of the ''fullness of time, "
One, albeit a Thomas, will find full
confirmation Of the fact, just stated,
in the correspondence which is no
ticeable between any given dates and
results.
The mower, the binder, etc., were
put upon the market atthe supreme
moment. The mower seemingly
turned adrift hundreds Of men the
first two years of its life. Other
avenues opened to the laborers, who
thought they were undone. The
vulcahization Of rubber, for rubber,
gave employ mens to men who were
no longer needed in fields OF riEened
golden grain. Don'tyou remember
that the wood burners. the Flying
Dutchman, etc, gave place in the
night, as it were, to the more pre-
tentious locomotives, and the latter
stood aside when the presens beau
tiful and powerful locomotives were
put in commission.
Now comes thecotton picker, per-
fected practically, in the very nick
of time. The Campbell mach
inc is doing such fine work this year,
it is 10 longer a debatable question
whether cotton can be picked by
other than mans hands.
A day or two ago | found in Cot
ton and Finance an intensely in
teresting and very instructive letter
from the pen of Col. Theodore HI.
Price. He wrote from Bishop,
Texas, where, under his personal
direction, two Of the Price-Campbell
pickers were satisfactorily at work.
On themorning Mr.. Price dictated
the letter alluded to. each machine
was picking 600 pounds Of cotton an
nour. The charge per hundred
weight was so cents. Mr.. Price says
the owner Of the cotton picker admits
that while the picking is not quite
as perfect as thai OF exceptionally
careful handpickers, it is far better
than he is able to secure at the hands
of itinerant Mexicans who are inn
ported from Laredo and Matamoras.
The encouraging fact is that the
picker is doing the work for which
it was designed. It will, of course,
do more thorough work as soon as
its weak points are discovered and
remedied,
| have an abiding faith in the cot
ton picker. 1t will prove to be a
money saving agency to the cotton
growers. Have you ever considered
the expense attendant upon cotton
picking? You will doubtless be as
tonished to be informed that the
negro women and children, who
picked go per cent of the crop of 1911
in Georgia, received, on the basis of
so cents per hundredweight, paid at
the close of each working day, not
later than Saturday after.oon Cf
each week-the sum of So, 458 800.
That seems incredible, does it not?
What a wondr)us territory is COM
prised in the 8 strictly cotton statesl
The part which the cotton picker
will play, in the aggregate cost of the
total crop of Georgia or other states,
will depend on the minimum char
&c for picking as the picking mach
inc will exercise most potent in
fiuence on the question Of labor now
50 Difficult to direct-ofttimes, so
difficult to secure.
Studying the cotton situation,
while sitting between rows Of well
fruited stalks-the acreage 50 large
that there was nothing but cotton