New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-06
BOUNTIFUL CROPS IN CONNECTICUT
CONTESTS OVER BIG POTATOES AND PUMPKINS
COLONEL WATTS EIGHuETH BIRTHDAY

| CONTESTS OVER BIG POTATOES AND PUMPKINS
| COLONEL WATTS EIGHuETH BIRTHDAY.
Norwich, Sept 5 CspeciaD.--The Connecticut
farmer has attained the happy conviction that Provl-
| dence has managed the weather and the crops IN
| this State this season just about as well rs the
| farmer could have done the business himself Never
were the harvests more abundant or better cou
drouth prevailed IN June, and the farmer declueu
that everything was surely going to ruin. but July
and August helped matters amazingly. Never were
| there so many pears before IN the history OF the
| State The apple crop IS fine one. The nay crop
was an average one. and rowan or aftermath VIII
be about rs big crop as the first one Potatoes are
so abundant that it is doubtful If the farmers VIII
be able TO harvest all Of them. Corn is good and
garden vegetables, and In the WOODS U'e
chestnut walnut and butternut trees are fairly bent
with such burden o. nuts was hardly ever
noted In Connecticut before. 1t looks now as IL
! all the Connecticut farmer Will have to do next
winter will be to drink cider, crack nuts 90 MS
chores, swap stories by his Preside and live on the
| fat of the land
All the rural journals TEEN with big stories about
big potatoes and sort OF prize contest IS going on
10 determine who can trot out the biggest potato ana
bask in the reflected glory that attaches to his cham
pioD product.
Elijah d. Harris the coal man, of this city, is at the
head of big potato raisers up 10 date He waited tll
Others had reported their best product and yesterday
|
struggling with couple OF huge potatoes that were
| grown on his Preston farm, a few miles from town.
The heavier Of the two balanced the scales at Just
two pounds and founteen ounces. 1t is the biggest
| potato unearthed as yet.
All kinds of fruits and vegetables have grown big
| in the State this At MddletOwn Dwight
| simpson, Of Cross-st Is the proud proprietor OF
peach grown in his garden that Is fourteen inches IN
girth, and weighs pound and two ounces and
| there several other peaches on the tree that
produced the monster almost large as that samuel
Kennedy Of Danelsonville calls attention TO grand
pumpkin vine at the rear of his house. In Maln-st''
| that has produced two pumpkins and Immense fellows
they are. The larger one, which is only five weeks
old is six feet In grth and st growing rapidly ana
the other four weeks old is about as big rs It's nelgh
Dor. He proposes to have these pumpkins at half a
dozen county fairs this fall NcwHaven is great on
big tomatoes, and "Tle Register Of that city, adVer
ses an Elm City one that weighs Just fifteen and one
half ounces.
The Hon. John T. Walt the Nestor OF the Connech-
cut bar few days ago celebrated the elgheth ami
versaTy of his birthday and e looks and seems 10 DC
Just hale and spry as he forty years ago, when
he the greatest criminal lawyer in the State lie
is st in active practice al the head Of the legal nrh
Of Walt d. Greene. and attends 10 business regularly
each day, rain or shine. Mr.. Greene, his partner
young man, was the Republican leader Of the Con
necticut House last winter. Colonel Walt who IS
wdower dwes in his ancestral home, roomy.
fine, Oldfashioned house, at ancient Norwich
Town, two miles from his office in the city,
and his faithful old coachman drives him TO ana
from his business. The Colonel represented this
district in Congress successfully for twelve years
and II was only three years ago that he retired III
favor Of Colonel Charles A. Russell. OF KlnGy' III
Windham County. In Congress he was known rs ti'e
Father Of the House. and every Representative was
personally well acquainted with him. Probably nc
Is acquainted with more people In Eastern Connecticut
I'm rural as well ~ urban regions, than any other n
and he has the historical and genealogical Iec0ius D
Norwich at his tongues end. The Colonel has bT ni
practising law just nty-lve years and the little hllu
Ing near his home IN which he began his prof. ,'
career Is still standing on Labor Day (noXt pioIi
dayl he Is to address big gathering In the open an
at Norwich.
Elegant through service TO Pittsleld and the BeIA