Cotton picker

– **History**:
– Human labor was utilized for cotton picking, increasing plantation owners’ profits.
– John Daniel Rust invented the first practical cotton picker in the late 1920s.
– Rust received his first patent in 1933 and owned 47 patents on cotton picking machinery.
– Rust Cotton Picker Company was founded in 1935 in Memphis, Tennessee.
– Mechanical pickers were gradually improved and adopted by farmers post-World War II.

– **Cotton Plant Improvements**:
– Hybrid cotton varieties were developed with bolls higher off the ground and ripening uniformly.
– Plant breeders’ innovations allowed for one-pass harvesting through the field.
– Herbicides were developed to defoliate plants before mechanical picking for a cleaner harvest.

– **Conventional Harvester**:
– The current cotton picker can harvest up to six rows at a time.
– Two types of pickers are in use: stripper picker and spindle picker.
– Stripper picker removes lint and plant matter, while spindle picker uses rotating spindles.
– Seed-cotton is compacted into modules for storage or ginning.
– John Deere and Case IH introduced advanced cotton pickers with module-building capabilities.

– **References**:
– Cotton picker definitions and meanings can be found in various sources.
– Historical and cultural impacts of the mechanical cotton picker are documented.
– Articles and books provide insights into the development and adoption of cotton pickers.

– **External Links**:
– Wikimedia Commons hosts media related to cotton harvesters.
– Additional resources and information on cotton pickers can be accessed online.