In mid-March, Li Long brought the new planter back from the Farm Machinery Factory in Kui City. Since sowing season had not yet arrived, he left it in a parking space in the Purchasing Station's front courtyard.
Quite a few of the people coming to buy agricultural supplies lately knew the business. When they saw that Li Long had made a special trip to bring back a planter, they began sizing it up.
Someone soon noticed that this planter differed from the ones they usually used. The spacing and number of the funnels underneath that dispensed cottonseed were different from those on ordinary planters.
Someone immediately asked Li Long, "Boss Li, is this a new kind of planter? What's different about it?"
Li Long explained, "This planter is specifically designed for use with cotton pickers. Cotton pickers have fairly special requirements. Neither the Narrow Film nor the wide-film cotton we currently grow is suitable for them. They need a specially made planter to go with them."
Someone else said with a laugh, "I heard cotton picked by those machines is especially dirty. The Corps tried a few of them, but they never caught on. What, Boss Li? Are you planning to try this too? If the cotton comes out too dirty, the Cotton and Hemp Company won't buy it."
"I'm just experimenting," Li Long said. "After all, we're growing more cotton now, and it takes too much labor. I want to try working in this direction and see whether there's a good solution."
He could discuss future trends with an expert like Principal Yang. There was no talking about them with the agricultural supply resellers and township Farm Supply Store owners in front of him. Even if he did, they would not believe him.
After all, although more people were