The leader., 1904-08-10
The Governor Wants TInhsf Lands
Cleared By CSayIcts,

Cleared BY CSaViCts.
jackson, Aug. 6. Gov. Varda-
man returned today from a visit
ito,tie State convict farm in Sun
flower county. The Governor
was accompanied on the trip by
Commissioners McNair and Brad
ley of The Board of Control, and
the visit was made for the purpose
of investigating the various gues.
lions involved in the Governor s.
proposition to have all the con-
victs concentrated on the farmland
to do away with the practice of
leasing private farms and working
them on the share system.
Gov. Vardaman is more than
ever impressed with the impor-
lance of this reform in the man
agement of the convicts anu with.
the vast possibilities open to the
State in the perfect development
of the convict farm. He is con-
WINGED that the State has lost many
thousands of dollars already by
Ineglecting these opportunities
by working the prisoners to the
profit of private individuals, while
hundreds Of thousands of feet Of
the most magnificent timber has
been suffered to 60 to waste for
want of the labor to put it on the
Iamarket, and while 5000 acres of
the finest land was lying idle on
| the farm for want of labor to
bring it into cultivation.
Summing up his views, after
due investigation, the Governor
estimates that with all the convict
labor concentrated on this farm,
with the additional 5000 acres of
wild land brought into cnltiSa-
ton, with sufficient drainage and
proper management, the State
convict farm can be made to net
the State of Mississippi in 1907
and yearly thereafter sufficient.
funds to support the University
of Mississippi, and Agricultural
and Mechanical College and the
Industrial Institute and College.
The Governor found abundant
work on the farm to profitably
employ every single convict now
on the prison register and more
beside. He wants TO see the acres
upon acres of beautiful timber,
now deadened and rotting, put at
once on the market, and be esti-
mates that the most profitable EN-
ployment the State can now find
for her convicts is In clearing VI
the 5000 acres of wild land at the
farm, thus increasing it in value
from So to $50 per acre.
The drainage problem said
the Governor, lis now the most
important thing to be taken up.
/ would like to put a first class en-
gineer at work on the farm at
once and put in thorough sys-
tenn of ditching, and then take in
the balance of the wild lands as
rapidly as possible. When this
farm is properly developed il will
be worth d million dollars. =
Speaking Of the crop outlook
on the farm, Gov. Vardaman said
that the cotton crop has been
damaged at least Is per cent. IN
the past two weeks from exces-
sive rainfall, but notwithstanding
this, the outlook is still compare
lively good. He states that he
has never seen such magnificent
looking cotton; the greater part
of it is as high as the shoulder of
a man on horseback, the rows six
feet apart and limbs interlock
ing between, but there is not much
fruit on it. The continued rains
are a serious menace still, as a.
large part of the crop will neces-
sarlly rot for want of sunshine tol
mature it, The corn crop is
acknowledged by the oldest far
mers of the country to be the fin
est ever seen in that section, and
will average fifty bushels to the
acre.
At the next meeting OF the
Board of Control the question will
be taken up, and it is believed that
with this showing the board will
decide to concentrate the prison
ers on the farm and use all OIL
them, not absolutely needed for
working the cleared lands, in get
ting out the timber now going to
waste and in developing the farm,