The Durant news. (Durant, Miss.) 1882-1985, 1944-10-19
PAGE THREE

All of these, machines with the es-
ception of one which carried two rows.
picked one row at the time. They move
along about three or Jour miles per
hour, and in the cotton fields where
they were observed they were picking
a bale per hour in cotton opened MP
to a bale or better per acre.
When the machine had picked n
half bale, it backed up to a big trucb
into which it dumped its load. The
truck bodies hold two bales each and
a tractor is used to pull two of these
loaded trucks to the gin where the cot
ton is ginned as rapidly as it is picked.
The machines are being run day and
night at the present time and the cot
ton picked in the early morning before
day is run through a special dryer be-
fore it enters the cleaners and adds-
tional drying chambers.
The Holmes County party was shown
some cotton that had been planted, cul-
tivated and harvested entirely by me
chanical means. Twelve pounds of de-
Tinted seed was planted per acre which
was never thined. The cotton was cul-
tivated in the usual way but the grass
and weeds we're destroyed by flame cul-
tivators, carrying two rows at the time.
This flame cultivation was carried out
five times during the season. Although
this field of cotton has been picked,
indications wer that more than a bale
of cotton per acre was produced.
We were told tina this cotton was
grown and harvested at about five
cents per pound, which is approximate
ly $l.50 per hundred pounds of seed
cotton. W
The pickers left possibly 10 to Is per
cent on the stalks and ground, however,
we were informed that these pickers
would later pick these rows again, az
which time the pickers would be ad
justed so as to get more of the cotton
from the stalks. We saw a great many
green bolls yet to open and to be pick
ed.
Very few of these machines can be
produced at the present time as the
company is unable to secure materials
As soon as the war is over, the factories
should not experience any difficulties
in securing all of the materials they
need.
The following parties made the trip
from Holmes County:
Mr.. and Mrs. r. L.. Wallace, Mr.. j. +
Gwin, Mr.. Frank Gwin, Mr.. +. L. Hines,
Mr.. II. C. Waterer, Mr.. +. c. Fleming,
Sr., Mr.. F. G. Fleming, Jr, Mr. p. n.
Williams, Mr.. John Howard Beall, MT
Henry Mullen, Mr.. A. p. Carroll, MI
]. d. Parrish, Jr., Mr.. Ned Parrish, DR..
O.. ID. Hooker, Mr.. H. L. Nichols and
Mr.. /. w. Carson, Mr.. W. M. Thompson,
Mr.. J.. r. Peaster, Mr.. James Cunning
ham and Mr.. Frank Eakin.
w. Fl. Diggs of Acona used secont
year perennial lespedeza and common
lespedeza to good advantage for tens
porary grazing this summer. Fourteen
acres Of common lespedeza, three acres
of two year old l~espedezn Sericeag end
free acres of two year old lespedexa
Iuncca make up this temporary pasture.
Mr.. DiggsA states I that although the
cows preferred to Craze the common
lespedeza, they grazed the perennial
readily enough after they developed "a
taste for it. sHAs eks
Several farmers in the county, most
Of whom are cooperators with the Hcl-
mes County Soil Conservation District.
ave utilized their first year sericea
for grazing this year TO excellent al
vantage. These farmers are finding that
the practice of grazing first year sericea
helps by controlling vegetation and too
ne cattle break the crust of the ground,
thereby cultivating the sericea to some
extent by walking over it.
j. II. Walton of Acona is planting RED
clover and oats this week for winter