New Machine Developed To Harvest Sugarcane -- A new sugarcane harvester that does about everything except turn out bottles of syrup has been demonstrated to planters here. Its backers say it may revolutionize the industry. The machine is the Thornton harvester, brain child of S.A. Thornton of Jeanerette. He staged the demonstration in cane fields at Adeline, eight miles east of here, before 200 planters. The device gathers in cane stalks, strips the leaves and loads the cane into a cart by a grab of conventional design. May 06, 1949. (Photo by AP).