Excerpt from the report: Studies were conducted in the Mississippi Delta in 1960, 1961, and 1963 to evaluate the effects of handpicking and of various types of picker spindles used in mechanical picking on the quality and spinning performance of cotton. Mechanical harvesters were equipped with 9/16-inch tapered barbed, 1/4-inch straight barbed, and 3/16-inch straight smooth picker spindles. This study was made to determine through pilot spinning-plant tests the effects of handpicking and three types of spindle picking (mechanical picking) on fiber properties and spinning performance of cotton. After measuring fiber properties and spinning performance, the data were analyzed statistically and comparisons were made among the four methods of harvest.