The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1891-10-20
AMONG The FARMERS.
Rhode Islands Vegetable Crops the
Best in Many Years
HAY SEEMS THE ONLY FAILURE.
With Facilities for Housing Vegetables
the Farmers Could Coin Much Money
Farming Implements Less Costly and
All Of New England Manufacture-No
State Apples.

How many OF the readers of the NEWS
saw the agricultural fair on the Great
and Crawford street bridges last Satur-
dayS 1t was sight which could not
have failed to please the most jealous ad-
vocate Of agriculture as means OF gain
ing livelihood; neither could 1t have
failed to impress upon the beholder the in
controvertible truth of the assertion that
under proper protection American-nay.
New England-farmers can live, thrive
and become independent.
At the State Fair there was a good dis
play of the products of the fields, the
orchards and the vineyards which very
properly attracted much attention; but IL
must be remembered that these exhibits
were picked, and that the better grades OF
fruits and vegetables were selected for the
impressions that they. would make upon
the judges and the prizes and premiums
that would be awarded. But in this sat
urday fair, this peoples mart, everything
was put upon its merits without recourse
to those little tricks familiar to all the
managers of county fairs, and despite this
it was an exhibition which had greater
merit and pleased the public who were out
marketing more than could the polished,
picked and garnished prize-seeking selec-
tions.
From Westminster to Crawford street,
on both sides of the long bridge, stood the
greatest aggregation of farmers vehicles
ever seen at the public stand in Provi-
dence. Wagons of every description,
loaded deep with the rich products of the
field and orchard, bid for patronage at
prices that tempted liberal patronage.
Great loads of golden squashes, barrels of
onions, white and red, enough in number
to make tears flow until the largest war
vessel in our own and priced white fleet
could float where erstwhile dry land ex-
isted; great white-skinned potatoes,
sweet corn, beats and turDips and celery,
such rs Boston markets few years ago
quoted at gilt-edged prices and found for
il more than ready sale. What a feast
il was for the eyes; what rebuke for
those who but a few months ago asserted
that the Republican policy of protection
meant the death of New England farm
ing
And the farmers Jolly, hearty and
red-faced No signs of poverty; no evil
dences of financial distress. Sharp and
keen a. "A briar in driving trades filled
with the Yankee spirit of thrift, of indie
pendence and get-there, they purveyed to
horizon, started homeward TO take their
well-earned rest and to prepare for the
business of the coming week.
Have the farmers flourished this year
Rhode Island farmers have never seen such
crops IL did seem as though Dame
Nature made It her special business to
make our bucolic friends happy. All the
vegetable crops have been prodigious, and
were it not for the short hay crop, the
farmers might truly say that they had had
every hope realized.
The consideration of the farming season
naturally reverts to the preliminary steps
incident to the tiiling of the soil. Were
the farmers of Rhode Island in a position
this year To purchase agricultural imple-
ments and seed, and did they patroniZe the
home dealers Speaking with the leading
house, that of William f. Barrett & Co.,
IL was ascertained that there had not been
rs good sale of hay tools this year as in
the last two or three seasons. This was
wholly due to the partial failure of the
hay crop, owing to the unfavorable condi-
tion of the weather, for it will be remem-
bered that while the sky was clear in this
city many days in July and August, all
through the southesn part of the state,
particularly in Newport, Kent and Wrsh-
ington counties, heavy, penetrating and
demoralizing fogs prevailed for days and
nights together, and that no sun beamed
upon the fields. During the last three
weeks in July there were but foHr days
during which the sun shown from a clear
skv from horizon to horizon. This con
tinued wet weather has cut down the hay
crop i'm Rhode Island fully 40 per cent,
and it Is a loss that is seriously felt, for
the farmers must replenish their lofts
with the products of the fields of other
states.
The cost of haying implements has de-
creased, and at the same time the sales of
mowers, hay-tedders and horse rakes has
fallen off 33B per cent. Otherwise the
sale of agricultural implements has been
good, which tells that the farmers have
had the ready cash to work with. The
for. sfrtc huxt.
gradually been working down, and yet the
dealers are satisfied with the profits, for
there have been more sales TO record. The
Mckinley bill has not, as was threatened,
acted detrimentally to the farmers inter
ests, and no increase whatever has been
noted in the schedule of prices for farm
ing tools This is significant, for all the
reliable and desirable farming implements
are made in New England.
Messrs. Barrett a. Co. say that the gen-
eral crops have been abundant, and that
while the prices realized by the farmers
are lower-the result of an excessive pro-
duction-- the sales have been correspond
ingly larger, the market has been freer
and everything has been equitably adjust
ed as between the producers and the con-
sumers. Everywhere very free market
is reported
The melon crop was failure There
was splendid showing when the blossoms
of the vines were set and everybody had
his or her mouth made up for feast, but
the superabundance of wet weather and
the limited sunshine prevented the melons
from growing sweet, and "A pumpkin-like
crop was the result The same fate befell
the famous Narragansett corn. the short
cared, delicious corn, which once eaten
is ever after sighed for, and every variety
of sweet corn in the State was failure
but not because of the operations of the
Mckinley bill.
To offset these disappointments the field
corn crop is prodigious, the increased
acreage being from twenty TO twenty-five
per cent, and every field planted has
yielded an abundant harvest. The seed
were never before sold so much az this
year, and the books show that seed corn
was generously purchased. While there
has been no increase In the acreage of pota-
toes, the yield has been something wonder
full. Last year was an off season. Pota-
toes rotted in the fields before they had at
tanned more than quarter of their
growth, and many acres OF stunted plants
were plowed under by the disgusted farm
ers, who were forced to contend with
long-drawn-out season Of rain and
dearth of sunshine. For this reason only
the acreage was not increased this year
The best vegetable crops are coming in
from Warwick, Darlington, Johnston,