Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-08-01
THE STATE FARMS.
Good Crop Prospects aud Good Health
Among the ConvictS.

Among the COnviCtS.
The state farms OF South Carolina
comprise abotu 5000 acres. and are in
Sumter and Kernhaw counties. The
DeSaussure farm Is In Sumter and the
Reed farm in Kershaw. the county line
being the line between the two farms.
The DeSauesure farm is managed by
Mr. w. r. Gardner OF Kcrshaw coun-
ty. who is considered a good farmer.
Two hundred acres OF MIR Gardner'S
farm is in cotton. a low estimate OF
the yield would he 175 to200 bales.
Ffty-four acres were sown in wheat.
which yielded $50 bushels. measured
from the threhcr. Three hundred and
fifty acres were in oats, which yielded
10 0G0 bushels. These oats have been
threshed a01 are now I'm one large
baru. The barn is l2O 40 feet and the
tlooriscovercdto Xfs Shrd shrd cntwos
floor Is covered 10 u depth of about four
feet
The most OF the land that was in
wheat and oats mas been sOwn in peas.
On this farm there are about 500 acres
in corn. the yield of which is yet un-
certain rs the mOstof 1t is lato The
early paintings though will make from
40 to 60 bushels to the acre.
III lNtFNl itil Ill NOuNtliHS dDOut liz
same. in acreae. as the DeSaussure,
and is directed andsupervised by MIR.
j. II. Morris OF Marlboro county, q
practical business man. The acreae in
cereals and cotton is about the same as
that OF the DeSaussure but the outlook
at present Is that the yield I'm both cot
ton and corn will considerably exceed
that OF the DeSaussure. Mr.. Morris has
about 300 acres OF corn which at low
estimate will yield 10 bushels per acre.
In addition to these staple crops these
farms raise abundance of syrup, pota-
toes. rice. vegetables. etc, to supply
them.
Under the present management the
farms are not only self-sustaining. but
arc asoupce ofconsiderable revenue to
the State When Messrs. Morris and
Gardner took charge last March one
year there was not corn enough to last
three months, consequently they had
to buy all the corn they used from
June until the crops were made and
harvested. There is now on each OF
the farms plenty or corn TO carry them
through. after having sold 1000 bush
els each to the penitentiary. They
have also sold large quantities forage
such as peavine hay, shreaded corn and
fodder, and Mr. Norris says that he
has enough left to run the place anoth-
or year without touching this years
product.
The labor of the farms consists OF
120 to $50 convicts, who run 6S plows.
Everything moves along without rric-
tion, and the men seem happy and con-
tented.
Col. J. d. Griffith, OF the peniten-
tiary. visits the farms about once a
month and gives direction and sugges-
ton
The greatest drawback to these
farms has heretofore been that they
were not healthy. but Col Griffith has
to great extent improved their health
by having deep wells bored over the
farms at convenient points for the
hands to get Water while working in
the fields The water from one of
these wells (and they are all alike) has
been examined by the State chemist
and pronounced a good and safe drink
ing water. The sanitary conditions of
the Reed farm are such that any small
town in the state would do we'll to pet
tern after.
There is not a case of fever or any
sickness on the place nor has there
been this spring"