Cotton Patch . . . A Cotton Thread

[88power]

11 hours ago, Delta Dirt said:

Following up on pickers and strippers:

Pickers use "barbed" spindles to more gently remove the cotton from the open boll--------similar to a man using his fingers to pull the cotton from the open boll.  The boll will be dry and open to a point to where the cotton is easily pulled from the locks of the dried boll.   (Ripe)

As Fred mentioned varieties and weather patterns-------here in the Mississippi Delta area we grow a taller/more bushy stalk on which the bolls typically don't open ("ripen") all at the same time.  A picker can be set to pick over a greener stalk without harming or losing the unopened green bolls.  Then come back and make a 2nd picking when the remainder is open (ripe).

Strippers use smooth spindles or a brush to literally strip the cotton, dried bolls (burrs), leaves, etc from the stalk.  This process works best in the dry land areas out West.  Cotton is sold by grade like most all crops-----so the different machines is all about maximizing profit through yield and grade.

Varieties are constantly being developed for the different areas and harvest processes.

In general terms-------I think of a stripper  being a simpler design; less cost (to purchase or operate) machine than the picker.

Long winded here------- but about as brief as I can describe.  Glad to see ya'll enjoying Fred B's thread.

 

DD

That's very interesting that a picker can leave unripe bolls on a plant and you can come back and get it later on

[acem]

Back when cotton was picked by hand it was selected for a height that easy to pick. Now it's slightly shorter. At least that's how I remember it. Thx-Ace 

[Fred B]

My son took on a new farm  so he decided to buy a later model planter.  His old planter did not have corn planting ability and we have some ground that yellows out sorghum so he decided he might plant corn.  Anyway, they delivered his new-to-him planter yesterday.  Of course it's a John Deere.  There are almost no International planters sold in our area.  Almost everything here is John Deere.  Anyway, thought it was interesting.  They delivered it with a machine made specifically to deliver large 3pt hitch equipment.  Here's some shots I took of it while they delivered it.  I can see it has plenty of hydraulic functions.  ?  This planter didn't cost nearly as much as our BTO neighbor ( he doesn't realize it, but he works for JD)  who just traded off two older 24 row on 3 new 24 row.  We understand they were a little more than $400,000 each.  I'm not in favor of my son's new planter.  The last planter we used when he and I farmed together, I had put a 6row IH No. 87 black land planter in the middle of a 40' Orthman bar and then I cut another 6row 87 in half and put half on each folding wing for 12 - 38inch rows.  There was nothing really wrong with that planter except it didn't cost enough money.  ? I can see this new jd planter also has an Orthman 40' bar, but it is stack fold, my old ih 87 planter, i had to remove the outer 6 seed hoppers to fold it, or the lids would come off.

 

 

[yellowrosefarm]

That is a very cool trailer.  Thanks for putting those pictures up.

[Fred B]

Thought I would put up a couple of photos of what this stak fold planter looks like on the tractor. I believe  CASE IH makes one similar.

I too was kind of liking their trailer that they delivered that thing with.  I was wondering about all the pins and other monkey motion on the implement hitch area of that carrier so I looked it up.  The name is Retriever and now I can see apparently it is made to retrieve combine heads etc.  Here is a photo.  

I have no affiliation with this machine or company.  I have never seen one before, I just thought it's  nice looking rig, thought it may be of interest to others.  

 

[acem]

I have seen caseih 12 row wide stack fold 1200 series planters in the delta. Thx-Ace 

[E160BHM]

2 hours ago, Fred B said:

Thought I would put up a couple of photos of what this stak fold planter looks like on the tractor. I believe  CASE IH makes one similar.

I too was kind of liking their trailer that they delivered that thing with.  I was wondering about all the pins and other monkey motion on the implement hitch area of that carrier so I looked it up.  The name is Retriever and now I can see apparently it is made to retrieve combine heads etc.  Here is a photo.  

I have no affiliation with this machine or company.  I have never seen one before, I just thought it's  nice looking rig, thought it may be of interest to others.  

 

The IH dealer I worked at in the late 70s had a similar trailer. Single axle and a hydraulic jack type lift system that was maxed out on a 6 row cultivator.  Brian

[Fred B]

In the 70's we had a neighbor, that also had one, it was called a Turn-a-port, yes single axle,

It had a 12 volt ele - hyd motor to lift, but you had to walk it around length wise with the trailer. If I remember correctly, they got it from a dealer quitting business.

[Fred B]

The freeze is over, March 3, 2021, planting sorghum.  Near Corpus Christi, Texas.

 

 

Rowing young sorghum.  March 10, 2021.  

Very dry!  Barely enough moisture to germinate.  

 

[lightninboy]

This picture was taken in 1954 or earlier. What is it? 

[lightninboy]

I think it's Allis-Chalmers.

http://www.tractorshed.com/contents/adpic22057.htm

http://www.tractorshed.com/contents/adpic22056.htm

It was called a Two-Row.

[twostepn2001]

10 hours ago, lightninboy said:

I think it's Allis-Chalmers.

lt's been a while but l remember seeing a video on youtube about AC cotton pickers and that one looks real similar to the one in the video.

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

What is the benefit of three point planters that big? It seems like it would be awkward and heavy. I have never seen anything but a pull type, but mounted planters seem to be common in the south maybe?

[jass1660]

2 hours ago, Dirt_Floor_Poor said:

What is the benefit of three point planters that big? It seems like it would be awkward and heavy. I have never seen anything but a pull type, but mounted planters seem to be common in the south maybe?

I think a lot is planted on beds for flood irrigating so three point stays on beds easier than a pull type plus don’t think they plant end or hedge rows so they can turn shorter this way.

[Fred B]

LB, you are correct, that is an early Allis Chalmers two row picker.  They were mounted on a WD-45.  The tractor runs backward and the front wheel is taken out and put about right under the steering wheel.  Not sure how they got the tractor to run backwards unless they flipped the ring gear as the Internationals did.  These pickers were built with the Rust Brothers patent.  The picker units are all together different than the IH units.  The early ones, like this one, used an about 3/16 diameter smooth spindle to actually pick the cotton,later they used a broach cut spindle, like IH. the spindles only rotated while they were in the cotton row. Other than that it works similar to the IH pickers.  

The one that you show there used an elevator type conveyance to move the cotton up to the basket.  The later ones used blower air.  Rust was eventually sold to Ben Pearson. There were a few sold around here.  My Dad's first cotton picker was a one row RUST mounted on a 8N Ford.  We used it several years but the 8N wasn't quite beefy enough.  

Here is a copy of that one row Rust cotton picker like my father had.  Had pneumatic cotton movement.  

 

[Delta Dirt]

6 hours ago, jass1660 said:

I think a lot is planted on beds for flood irrigating so three point stays on beds easier than a pull type plus don’t think they plant end or hedge rows so they can turn shorter this way.

We do plant ends on soybeans and corn ---------in addition, in reality many fields in the mid-west are larger than many in the Delta area.

Weight is getting to be a problem down here under damp or "seep water" conditions along the Levee.  Many growers use a drill or smaller planter for planting the ditchbanks.

 

*****

Had forgotten about the little Rust picker on the Fords Fred------thanks for the reminder.

 

 

 

DD

 

DD

[twostepn2001]

On 8/19/2021 at 7:00 PM, Delta Dirt said:

Rust picker on the Fords

That's first time l've ever seen a RUST picker on a Ford. l do have some pics of RUST pickers built around some Olivers.

Here are some pics of Dearborn cotton strippers on a Ford. One is a basket stripper and the other is a elevator type that blows the cotton in a pull behind trailer.

This a experimental 3 row cotton stripper being tested at a Texas A & M farm near New Deal, Texas. (Just north of Lubbock)

[Fred B]

Here is my 2023 cotton and grain sorghum (milo) crops.  The sorghum was harvested late June, early July, and it made 6400lbs/acre, close to or the best we've ever had.  Finished July 10.  

The first photo is of cotton blooms.  Cotton yield will be close to 2 bales/acre.  Last year was close to 3 bales.  We were short on rain this year.  

Started harvesting cotton August 2, finished yesterday, August 11.  

The balance of the photos are cotton related.  Self explanatory.  

To my knowledge there are no IH pickers running in this county or adjoining.  Everything is a John Deere round bale harvester. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twostepn2001]

15 hours ago, Fred B said:

Everything is a John Deere round bale harvester. 

Fred, what is the difference between the pink balewrap and the yellow? Seems like someone told me that different color mean different thicknesses of wrap..?

[acem]

There is some cotton planted in my county this year. First time in over 20 years.

It will have to be hauled at least 150 miles.

[Fred B]

About the round bale wrap, to my knowledge the yellow is the original made for or by John Deere or a company owned by JD? ? 

The pink is for breast cancer awareness.  

Now we are seeing a blue wrap that is of lesser quality (doesn't last as long).  I'm assuming thinner/cheaper as you mentioned.  

Side Note:   here is a link.  Notice the JD logo and the pot bellied deer.  Thought that was comical.  🙂

https://www.deerwell-tech.com/product/deerwell_yellow_for_cotton?gclid=Cj0KCQjwoeemBhCfARIsADR2QCtoH1BNTvm0Wxmq6WcHFtzUwNEDHO5w4SXHhfhZIPDE4jkL6X1z584aAmOVEALw_wcB

Ownership information etc. is imprinted in the wrap.  This site I read there is a small piece of metal embedded in the wrap in case of fire for id purposes.  

 

[Fred B]

acem, over the years many of the old cotton gins became obsolete and closed their doors and now that the boll weevil eradication program has taken care of almost 100% of the boll weevil, they want to start planting again.   Now they have trailers that will haul eight round bales and they can pull double to haul 16 round bales.  

[twostepn2001]

On 8/14/2023 at 10:27 AM, Fred B said:

About the round bale wrap, to my knowledge the yellow is the original made for or by John Deere or a company owned by JD? ?

l know a company called Tama makes bale wrap but l don't know if it is part of Deere or not. l've seen bales wrapped in four different colors. Yellow, pink, blue and white and just wondering if it meant anything. Seems like like l read or heard somewhere that each color was a different thickness of plastic but l'm not sure.

[acem]

This guy's cotton don't look like the cotton they grow in the delta or they used to grow here.

It's full of weeds and non uniform height. I think it looks bad and it's been a good year.

It's his first cotton crop.

[gafarm49]

Here's some south Ga cotton. A rain would be nice