The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-08-23
BUMPER CROPSAT . THE CONVICT ARMS
New Records Are to Be Made In Alabama, Accord
 ing to Present Outlook
Ny FRED H. GoRMLEY

Montgomery, August 22.-(Specal)- Alabama's convict farms will make the greatest crops in the history of the state if something unforeseen such as a flood does not come before harvest. Investi- gations made during the week by news paper representatives. who were invited to accompany Len F. Greer, inspector of the convict bureau, to the farms at Camp No. 4, Speigner and Buyck and the state cotton mill at Speigner and the concen- iraton camp at Wetumpka during the week showed that the convict depart ment in addition to making the great est crop on record had done more work of clearing state lands and making them tillable in 1920 than in any other year.
 At convict farm No. in Montgomery county three crops will be harvested from the same land this year. Oats were cut early in the season and immediately
 thereafter corn and peas were planted. which have reached an excellent stand and which will reach maximum produe- tion unless the unforeseen occurs. In addition state convicts have cleared nearly 800 acres of land which were turned to the wild four years ago and which were not cultivated until this year. On this wild land may now be found a fine stand of corn, many stalks producing three and four ears.
 The same condition were found on the farms at Speigner and Buyck. No cot ton was planted at farm No. this year, but at Speigner fine crop was found. In addition, the state put a large acre age in watermelon, using land unsuited for any other crop. All expectations were exceeded in the watermelon crop Convicts have been given melons three times day and as many as they could I eat The crop was so great the melons were fed to the hogs. Several wagon loads were brought to Montgomery and distributed among employees of the state. l One convict at speigner was asked if he was satisfied with conditions and his answer was: This has been the great est year in my life. It is the first time | in my life I have had as many water | melons as I could eat"
 1 The Buyck plantation is being operated | by the state for the first time in twenty years. Until a few years ago it was rented for S200 a year The rent was | raised to s4oo. and this year the state decided to cultivate 1t. Estimates are | that the profit will run into the thous- | ands of dollars.
 l All convicts employed on the farms are tunfitted for work in the coal <lines and lumber camps, and if the state did not use them on the farms they would be a ! financial expense.
 The state cotton mill at Speigner un- der the supervision of H H. Stewart, has been operated twenty-four hours a day for many months It is now producing 1500 900 yards of cloth weekly. and the state has found a ready market for the product, just now completing contracts for goods which were executed last year It is believed a dull season is about to
 be entered due to the changing condi- tions of the markets. The cloth has
 been used in the making of sacks for
 meal flour, etc. When the heavy de-
 mand for the product came, Governor Kilby asked for bids on new machinery
 which would add to the capacity of the
 plant The manufacturers replied that
 deliveries could not be made until 1923
 This caused the governor and officials
 of the convict bureau to decide to worl
 double shifts
 Superintendent Stewart believes the state mill is doing something which i: not done in any other cotton mill in the United States, using negro girls in tho operation of spindles. Other mills em. ploy white labor for this work. but Mir Stewart has found that negro girls con | victed of crime, who are not available for any other work have been success full in the operation of spindles.
 | Much new machinery has been placed | in the mill during the year. and where
 ever automatic machines could be ob- | tained they were purchased and installed. 1 The result is that the daily capacity of
 the plant has been greatly increased.