Arizona republican., 1899-06-21
Some Data Regarding the Fa-
 nous Prison Farm.
GUBERNATORIAL PLAYTHING
An els and" Which Unlike SanCho PanZa'S Famous Isle is Not Sif- uated Far Enough Away From inc Wafer-Irriqaiion Is Held by Experts 10 Be SuperfIuouS on Thai Farm.

una, June I9 9-tSpeclal cOrrS- 1 spondenoe of The Republican.)-A
 successful prison farm, under present
 existing conditions on land owned by the territory, is nothing less than
 ridiculous. No one knows this better
 than the proprietor of the Star, if he
 knows anything at all and wishes to be fair, but this his democratic friends say he could not be. even to his own political party much less to the ad-
 ministration of another But to the
 facts in the case.
 During the second administration or
 President Cleveland-that is, during the first and only administration of Governor Hughes-the government of the United States ceded to the terri
 tory of Arizona 1000 acres of land This land lies east and above the pris-
 on. A portion of it, say 200 acres, or whereabouts, is known as the Island It lies in the angle formed by the con
 fuence of the Colorado and G:la riv-
 CTS, and is subject to overflow from the Colorado, not alone from one side
 but from all >sides. Said "Island' IS formed by the Colorado cutting across
 the narrow neck of land that divides
 the two rivers, about three miles east of their jurction. This split in the Colorado subjects the land to overflow on all stdes, and it overfows. But mot at all times" frantically declares the agricultural editor of the Star. That is true, and it was true on the first of March last when an effort was made to get some of that S75, 900 cut of the agricultural mans hat by culti- vating the prison farm.'
 The island is densaly brushed, not timbered but as the soil is rich and loaded with wealth, the prison man. agement acting under the advice of the agricultural editor before alluded to, concluded to go after it for the benefit of the taxpayers of the terri tory. A force of convicts was there fore put to work on it. Clearing, blowing, 6itching, making and prepar- ing the land of promise for a SIS, 900 crop, dispelled the dream of luxurious idleness indulged in by the convicts 'Eat the expense of the law abiding peo- pie of the territory The very ground smiled on their efforts, and the indications were that cabbage, corn and their concomitants of spring beans would feed the convicts at the prison, the students at the university and the inmates at the insane asylum three times a day the year round. Some 10000 cabbage plants had been set out, 1000 tomato plants, enough onions to perfume the county of Yuma, together with an abundance of peas, beans, corn, squash and watermelons.
 Toward the latter part of April the Colorado began ''spreeing." A system of banking against it on the island was begun, and for awhile it looked as though the levees thrown up would hold back the constantly rising waters. Outside and against the levees the water stood from two to two and a half feet deep over the face of the island. Springs, however, soon began to bubble up through the cultivated ground, and that beautiful GOO prospect was soon hidden beneath the muddy waters of the Colorado. The last seen of the growing vegetables was on the 29th day of April, and they will be seen no more, but old timers say the land upon which they grew will probably be again seen late in June or maybe in July. The water on the cultivated ground still stands from two to two and half feet deep and forms an excellent lake for boating The river at this time is higher than it has been at any time during the year. The following is a further his tory of prison farming as gathered from the reports of the several super intendents of the prison, and now on file in the office of the board of, con- trol. First comes the report of Thomas Gates for the quarter ending September 30, 1893. It says:
 ''The common council of the village of Yuma has petiticned the United States for grant of a tract of land, containing over 1000 acres lying east of the prison.
 Although this tract is subject to the Colorado and Gila rivers, the prac- ticability of protecting it by means Of levees constructed by prison labor is unquestionable and the expense slight when compared to the benefits deriv- able. If granted to this institution the land could be cleared and planted to rnmia which might afterwards he