The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1896-01-24
A COUNTY FARM.
hat Lownds County Has Done In
This Direction.

W ThtS DlreCtlOHs
M Just a. this time when the subject OF
county farm is before the people. the
aN,llowips extract from q letter from
M resident McClnry, Of the LOwnds couu'
board Of supervisors, will be OF es
secial interest: Three years ago we
MAJ er~ la boring with the same trouble
sSs,at vor are having now and we Their
XXI setc, mined to try the farm system
I've purchased farm Of 1900 acres.
shie was much larger farm than was
~ ecessary, but we bought it because
sSshere was 4 bargain in it-600 acres
pen tillable land, and we cultivated
me whole Of the open land. We plant
otto1I corn. oats, potatoes, and clover
lind other grasses for hay.
-4fle poor house in connected WIN
he farm and they are supplied from
he products of the farm. The farm
Saaa given general satisfaction up to date
4 hnd is the only solution to the hand
Wing Of county convicts. We tried the
u ease sy stem and that was not at all
n Satisfactory. and keeping them in jail
was entirely too expensive. We work
SEag,ur convicts two months on the puollc
loads.
n When we adopted this plan our pau
Sssers were costing us between 5000 and
gss1 900 year. This year their expense
sid not exceed $500, because the farm
all the supplies that they
We raised good portion
sof our meat on the place; the hogs kill
led This year will amount to about 1900
hounds. The farm made seventy bales
sef cotton this yea-and abont 5000 bush
dis OF corn, about 600 bushels OF sweet
potatoes a0d various sther products in
proportion We have ten mules on the
farm. We hIvo one head manager and
lone guard The manager is paid $500
land fed. and the gaurd $40 and fed.
The revenues from the farm for the
three years that we have had it in OBJ
Grafton have proved perfectly satisfac-
tory to oar couuty.-Brandsn News
During the early part of last year we
had an editorial OH this 81 bjecs. urging
the Importance OF snch a movement on
the part Of our county, but being in adj
vance Of public sentiment and interest
il effected no good Our convicts lie in
Jail At the expense OF the tax payers,
and the poor house is also = burden
the county paying we believe, about
$50 head per year for board and cloth
ing aside from othe, expenses about
the house. The house and accommo-
we have heard were very Loor
and inmates Unfortunately mixed SO
that it was very repuIsive place for
any respectable person, upon whom
poverty or misfortune had
laid their sorrowing hands to dwell
We would suggest now as we did form
erly, the purchase of farm near Can
ton, and the removal of the poor house
TO it and all to be managed in u man
aer similar to the plan detailed above.
We believe it ought to be at Canton
first. because it is the county capitol
and like the State. all public iustitu-
tions should center there, besides it
is centrally located, easily and econom-
icslly accessible from all parts of the
couat y and can he thus under the spt ciAl
care and supervision of the Board of
Supervisors. whs should inspect it at
every meeting, There is no question of
the plan being feasible and the farm,
being made self-sustaining at least, if
not source of revenue to the county.
This has been proven in the above in
stance as well as by the State with its
convicts. The only objection that
could possibly be urged against such
policy by the State or county is the
competition of convict labor with free
labor. This is more thaa effset how
aver by the burden of tax they are to
the people and the brutal iahumaHity
OF the lease system. We would call the
special attention of our Board Of Super
visors to this subject. II they have the
ability, nerve and far reaching compre-
hepsiou, as well as the public welfare
at heart we credit them with, they will
thoroughly investigate this subject,
consider 1t in all its bearings from a
parely business standpoint and act in
atc rdsnce with the best interest OF the