Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-17
Good Natured Rivalry Between
Managers of the Various
State Institutions
GOOD RETURNS ARE EXPECTED
Farm Managers for the Various State
Institutions Given to Understand
Size of Salary Depends. on Success
of Their Management Of the States
Farms - Other News.

Des Moines, April 17.-Intense, but
the best-natured rivalry exists among
the state institution farmers this year
in the matter of making records for
fine crops. The board of control has
given them to understand that the
salaries depend on the records made
in carrying on the institution farms.
The result is 4 natural competition to
get the most possible out Of the soil
owned by the state. The farms did
we'll last year; under the competition
which obtains this year they are ex-
pected to do much better.
John Cownie of the board of control
returned yesterday morning from a
visit to most of the northern Iowa in
stitutions, taken in part for the pur-
pose of visiting the institution farms
to see that the work starts out we'll for
the year. During the coming week the
board of control will visit the southern
Iowa institutions, and thus Mr.. Cownie
will have visited all of the farms and
personally directed the opening of the
seasons work.
The salaries depend on the eff
cheney with which the farms are man
aged" said Mr.. Cownie yesterday af-
ternoon, "and the farmers are evineing
the liveliest interest in making the
most for the state out of their land. l
spent the past week at the northern
Iowa institutions to assist the farmers
in cutting and planting their seed pota-
toes and to sort and select their seed
corn.
The seed corn which we have test
ed at the state house has been testing
from "a to 100 per cent, which means
that the seed corn at the institutions
is of the very first quality. But after
good seed corn is found it is essential
that it be selected. That is, the best
ears should be chosen for grain to
plant, and the kernels from the butts
and tips of the ears should not be
planted. 1t is in assisting the institu-
ton farmers in this selection that ]
have been engaged, in part, during the
past week.
Prisoners Work Without Guards.
AT Anamosa the state farm has
been increased about eighty acres since
last season. Ten or twelve convicts
We're at work on the blowing when |
as there the past week, and in plant
ing. They are men who have served
their terms almost out, and to whom
there is no object in escape. If they
should run away and lose their good
time in that way they would lose more
than If they remain at the institution
until regularly released. So we have
no difficulty with that class of work
men. While was there the farmer
left them in the field, while he went
to the institution a mile and half
away and they remained without any
guard whatever all of the time that
we were gone.
1.-THE farmer is not armed in any
way at any time, and he is the sole
obstacle in the way of the men if they
We're so foolish as to try to escape with
the certainty of capture and return to
prison, the loss of good time, the loss
of chance to work in the sunlight
outside the walls and more time then
to serve than they would have to wait
for discharge i'll the usual way.
cat Anamosa we have just added
to the equipment a fine team of draft
horses costing $3.50. At Vinton we
have enlarged the farming operations
by cultivating ten acres of the pasture
which lay south of the institution
buildings. The pasture was worked
out and we have put in potatoes and
sweet corn. At Davenport we have
put in oats and potatoes, expecting to
increase the product of the latter this
wear