The Donaldsonville chief., 1913-12-20
SUGAR CANE HARVESTER.

invention of George .. Luce Works
to Satisfaction of Planters and
Others - Successful Demonstras
zion at Audubon Park
i The cane harvesting machine seems
} at last to have arrived. A number
OF sugar planters and other interested
parties recently witnessed a demon
stration of the invention of George
D. Luce at the sugar experiment sta
ton at Audubon Park, and those who
were acquainted with the subject Of
cane harvesting agreed the machine
would do the work. The invention
is not perfect, but the ideas and
principles necessary to a perfect ma
chine are embodied in the model, and
there are said to be thousands of me-
ahanics in the country who can take
the harvester as it stands and per-
feet ita
u Mr.. Luce has been at work on the
apparatus thirteen years. and for
twelve years of that time has pro-
! duced d new model each year, cor
recting some defect of operation un-
til he seems to have at last attained
success.
I One of the fatal defects III previous
harvesters, that of topping the canes
has been overcome in the present
machine by a simple device, remarks
BILE chiefly for the fact that the idea
J did not present itself sooner to some
of the inventors who have attacked
che problem. The topper used By Mr..
1 Luce in his 1913 model consists mere
/ ly OF a plate Of sheet iron, against
which the tops of the cut cane are op-
posed, and back of which are the top.
ping knives. The tops strike this
!. plate and are bent backward and up
ward until the stalk is engaged by
the knives at the proper joint. The
sugar planters who Witnessed the ex-S
pertinent agreed that while the top
ping was not always perfect as 10
point of cutting, it was done at least
as well as it is by the labor employ
ed on the plantations. up to or
a little above the average" was the
dictum of the knowing.
Altogether this was the general
opinion Of the work Of the harvester,
aside from any economic advantage.
The bottom cutting is better than
that done by hand; the stripping of
the shuck is more nearly perfect, and
the topping about as good. The cane
lis laid behind the machine on the
row as cut. 1t could, of course, be
laid In a trailing vehicle IL this were
desired, but those present at the
demonstration did not attach any fm-
portance to this.
The machine is operated by an
engine of much the same sort as pro.
vides power for automobiles. this
engine drawing the machine as well
as operating the cutting apparatus.
The harvester itself, ike ether Kna-
chinery, is difficult to describe ac-
Iceptably to the layman. Running
from the upper part of the machine
in an inclined plane terminating q
| few inches above the ground is an
endless chain, formed like an In
verted V. This chain is armed at
intervals with iron fingers, which en-
gage the stalk OF cane near the
ground, Strengthening it TO an upright
position, il bent, and holding It firm
Ely while drawing it toward the CEN
ter OF the V as the finger rises
i with the chain. until the stalk LIS cut
| by two disk knives which are set at
| a desired height, those at the de-
monstration just brushing the soil as
/ they reyolved. It is desirable, SUI
gar planters say, to cut the stalk an
| inch or two below the surface of the
soil, because the lower part Of the
stalk is richer IN saceharine than the
upper, and, beside, the stubble is left
/ in better condition. Hand labor Is
| instructed to SO cut the cane, but gem
orally sewers it above the soil, thus
losing valuable material for sugar
making and leaving the stubble ex-
posed, to ferment and deteriorate.
/ The stalk being severed runs SLOW
ly up the inclined chain and the tops
are forced against the sheet iron
plate, the pressure bending the top
of the cane and bringing it against
| the topping knives. Back OF these
knives are a series of iron fingers,
called brushes, which strip the stalk
clean of leaves, when it slides down
la trough and drops upon the ridge
behind the machine Examination OF
| the stalks showed them to be cut
different lengths, as though done By
hand, distinct improvement over
previous models exhibited, both those
of Mr.. Luce and of ether inventors.
Formerly the topping was done at q
uniform distance from the bottom cut,
without regard to the number Of ripe
joints the cane might contain.
/ Som etf1ina About Louisiana Corn and
/ Tomato Clubs.
/ Fourteen boys this year made over
4 100 bushels Of corn to the acre.
. On fourteen acres Of corn fourteen
boys made total prcfit of s1277.43.
On fourteen acres fourteen boys
made 1851 bushels, an average of
III bushels per acre, at a cost of
22 cents per bushel.
Thirtyfive girls have cleared $685.
72, making an average of S53.57 from
each tenth of an acre. AT this same
rate they averaged s535.70 profit per
acre.
Five girls obtained total yield Of
J 15,886A pounds of tomatoes, an aver
age of 1,772 pounds per acre. From
one-tenth of an acre 1000 pounds Of
cabbage and 1900 pounds OF tomatoes
were harvested and sold.
| On half an acre 1886 pounds OF
r tomatoes were produced, the sale of
} which, both fresh and canned. amount.
: ed to S457.