The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1902-10-08
THE STATE FARMS.
Couvicts Are Not Allowed to Eat Their
Heads Off.

GiS Ill lllc kOldlC Iltl ' Z SSSA i'o4e
ed or even know that there is a
great and most interesting and
Instructive object-lesson for them
in the State farms. At least
this is the case as regards the
two adjoining farms. situated
partly in Sumter and partly in
Kershaw county, and although
| it is understood and so instruc-
ted. that visiting farmers, o.;
any others, who may desire to
| inspect these institutions are to
be entertained and courteously
treated, yet there are compare
lively very few people who have
availed themselves Of the val
/ liable lessons to be learned, or
profted by any attention to the
methods and systems and ex-
perieuce of these models Of self
supporting and paying farms.
These splendid farms are sit
uated in the extreme northwest
corner of Sumter and northwest
corner of Kershaw counties and
comprehended 2,400 acres of an
fine arabic upland and fertile
river bottom land as may be
found in the State, besides wood
land and uncleared swamp.
The farms are under separate
and entirely distinct superin-
tendence, the manager of the
"DeSaussure farm" being Mr..
W. R. Gardner, of Kershaw
county, who has proven himself
to be a thoroughgoing farmer.
1.-The Reed farm" has Mr. Jesse
II. Morris as manager. Mr..
Morris has had large experience
in experimenting some of the
lordly plantations of Marlboro
county and the practical know
ledge gained by that experience
stands him in good stead in his
present position. Indeed both
these managers evince execu-
tive ability and a judgement
above the average, as the writer
can testify after a recent visit
and ride over the grounds Of
these industrial State enter
prises.
Portion of the southern line
of these State plantations bounds
upon the lands of Mr.. Arthur K.
Sanders, who happens to be also
the chairman of the board of
Penitentiary directors, and it
becomes eminently due and prop
er to say, en- passant, that he
takes an abiding and intelligent
interest IN the study and close
observation Of criminology-or
rather criminal anthropology-
and is perhaps the most active
and hard-working member of
the board; having made; and
still makes, many visits to other
parts of the nation, to observe
from the view point of the diff
ferent States and Territories
their methods of handling that
class of people whom society is
forced to shackle or to keep be-
hind bolts and bars as punitive
measures or permanent protec-
ton to the law-abiding portion
of humanity.
SEVENTY CONvICTS TO EACH.
Under the aegis of his pres
ence and with the pleasant ad-
vantage of his ciceroneship your
correspondents visit was made.
The acreage is equally divided,
each farm containing twelve
hundred acres of arabic land, a
moiety of each being river swamp
bottom. An average of seventy
convicts is assigned to each,
consisting of able bodied, skilled
and unskilled laborers; therefore
each convict is supposed to work
sixteen acres; preparing, plant
ing. cultivating, harvesting and
storing: besides the very many
and oftimes onerous, necessary
and contingent labors incident
to a combined upland and river
bottom plantation; such, for in
stance, as throwing up prodi-
gious levees along the river
bank. building check dams, and
causeways, digging canals and
bitches and various other work
amounting in the aggregate, to
marvellous achievements in the
course of the year, which puts
to blush the thriftlessness of
thousands of farms throughout
the South; for the results are
tnot obtained by undue severity.
cruelty, or even unreasonable
exactions, but rather by judi
cious and systematic methods of
handling the labor, strict, though
nerciful, discipline, but, above
Ill, pertinacious steadfastness
during work hours, all compris-
ed in the word regularity. There
is no such revised commandment
as "fve days shalt thou labor
and do all thy work" as on most
other farms; no camp-meeting,
nor picnic, nor base ball, nor
loafng; steady toll is the fate
of these sentenced to ''hard Ia
bor," ard the wonderful results
of this systematic, steady and
persistent toll is one of the main
lessons taught any farmer who
may visit the place.
Cleanliness, neatness, repair,