Evening star., 1942-11-29
New Cotton Picking
Machine Does Work
OF 50 10 80 Men
international Harvester
Head Says Shortages
Limit Production
By the Associated Press.

bS TIE Associated fTesS.
CHICAGO, Nov. 28.-Fowler Nc
Cormick, president Of the Interna-
tional Harvester Co., announced to-
day development of a successful me-
chanical cotton picker and said
tests had shown it capable of doing
the work of so to 80 hand pickers.
The company, however, finds it
self in the position of not being
able to manufacture more than a
dozen or so because of material re-
strictionS Mr.. Mccormick said, un-
less the Government decides
greater number should be produced
as wartime labor-s saving factor.
He said experiments with mechan-
ical cotton pickers had been car
ried on by the company for 40 years.
He reported that the problem of
developing successful machine to
relieve the back-breaking burden of
harvesting cotton hao proved the
most difficult designing and engi-
neering task in the history of mod
ern agricultural machinery.
Tested in Several States.
The machine, Mr.. Mccormick
said, was tested in Mississippi, Ar
kansas and some sections of Texas
and Arizona. 1t can be used, he
added, in any area where the height
OF the cotton plant ranges from
2 to Az feet. 1t was emphasized,
however that machine picked cot
ton must go to gin equipped with
cleaning and drying machinery.
In its present state the cotton
picker represents a rather large
capital investment for the owner of
small cotton tract" Mr.. McCor-
mick said. But If used on several
such tracts, providing sufficient
acreage to keep the machine Occu-
pied, it would be economically ad-
vantageous. Such has been the his
tory of most of the more compli-
Gated farm machines. At first they
were economical only for the own
ers of individual larger farms, or
for groups of smaller farms.
1T is difficult to make an accurate
specific statement on the amount
OF cotton the machine will pick in
comparison with hand pickers, be-
cause of widely differing conditions
under which cotton is grown differ
ing yields per acre. size of plants and
type or fiber From the tests We
have made. however, we know that
the machine will pick as much cot
ton in day as can be picked by
from so to 80 hand pickers in the
same field"
Mechanism Described.
The picker is a machine attach
ment for mounting on a medium
sized tractor. Power for the picker
is provided by the tractor.
The picking mechanism consists
OF two drum housings, each contain
ing series of vertical shafts,
mounting a large number of re-
Volvlng SplndleS, which gather the
cotton. The spindles enter and re-
tract in the cotton plants at the
same forward speed as the tractor
itself.
AS the spindles enter the plant
they contact the open bolls and
spin the cotton out of the boil
without disturbing the unopened
bolls or otherwise injuring the
plants. After the cotton fiber is
wound around the spindles, it is
removed by rubber strippers or
doffers. The cotton then is con-
veyed by vacuum to a separating
compartment and then by air pres
sure to large wire netting basket
on top of the machine, where it is
held until ready to be dumped for
trucking to the gin
When used with the picker the
high rear wheels of the tractor be-
come the front wheels and the ma
chimes forward motion is operated
by the reverse gear. The driver. who
tends all operations, rides above the
drum box. where he has full view
OF the row of cotton being picked
as it flows through the drum box.