Roanoke Rapids Herald

By Walter S. Allen Staff Writer, Florence (S.C.) Morning News

A new mechanical cotton picker which promises to revolutionize the farmer's cotton picking problems has been invented and put on the market by Starr W. Shelley, of Charlotte, N. C., a native of Marion County, South Carolina.

Shelley has been working on this machine since 1941. He tried out his first machine in the fall of 1947 on the 1,000-acre farm of J. D. Coleman in Dillon County, S.C. The farm is located five miles from Latta on the Bennettsville highway. The results of the first machine were very satisfactory and Mr. Coleman gave it his approval, but Shelley saw the need of some improvements and adjustments. So he immediately went to work on producing another cotton picker, modeled in principle after the first one, but modernizing it and making it more simple to operate. This machine was demonstrated at Laurinburg, N. C., in March of this year. Mr. Coleman was there to see the machine in operation and promptly bought it and had it delivered to his farm. Mr. Coleman invites all interested persons to see the new cotton picker and see it run at his farm. A large number of farmers and farm implement company representatives have been to the Coleman farm to see the machine and all of them have been very favorably impressed. Mr. Coleman reports.

Through various experiments and demonstrations the machine proved that it will gather 99.95 per cent of all cotton on the stalk, one row at a time. The Shelley picker will pick from 10 to 15 acres of cotton per day and can be operated 24 hours per day if desired.

The picker is easily towed by a tractor. The picker's wheels, mounted on standard size 600x16 tires, can be moved in or out for any width cotton row from 30 to 48 inches.

The picker is built so that each of its wheels will run between two rows and the machine's intake (or mouth) straddles the middle row. The cotton is gathered by fingers attached to bars which are fastened on a roller chain. This chain revolves on sprockets on a shaft, the bars being timed to come up in unison from each side of the cotton stalk. When the fingers reach the top of the shaft, another set of mechanical fingers revolve in such a way as to remove the cotton and kick it into bags on each side of the platform.

The Shelley picker weighs 2755 pounds, is eight feet high. The picker is three feet wide and built around it is a body which is 19 feet in width. The body is built three feet from the ground so as to easily pass above other rows of cotton which are not being picked. The entire head of the machine may be raised or lowered 10 inches so as to ensure safe turning at the ends of rows without causing the machine to come into contact with the ground.

The machine is equipped with sealed ball bearings—there's not a grease fitting on the entire mechanism—no grease is necessary. The Shelley "Cotton King" as the inventor refers to his picker, is very easily operated. Any farm hand can run it after one hour's instruction on its operation—no skilled labor is necessary.

As to the purchase price of the machine, Mr. Shelley says It is in the low price bracket."

The Campbell Farm Implement Company at Leesville, S. C., has bought one of the machines and has it on display. Shelley has incorporated his business which is known as the Shelley Cotton Picker Company, Inc. The corporation's address is 1521 East Morehead Street, Charlotte, N. C.

The new cotton picker is now in production, being built by the Laurinburg Machine Company in Laurinburg, N. C. Mr. Shelley's aims are to build as many machines as the supply of material will allow in preparation for the cotton picking season this fall.