Rocky Ford enterprise., 1893-09-21

The hotels and restaurants of
Rocky Ford anticipated that the
scarcity of money would have the
effect of diminishing the crowd on
Watermelon Day, and did not
make as great preparations as
usual. In this supposition they
were mistaken. Nevertheless,
there was plenty, and we are sur
prised that as good a rustler as
Mrs. Sperry should not have
found the places where the fat Of
the land--yes,even milk and honey
were in profusion.
What the Newspapers Say.
The Pueblo Chieftain says:
''The Rocky Ford people are the
most generous as well as the most
enterprising and hard working in
the Arkansas valley. Rocky
Ford's agricultural advancement
in the past ten years is something
quite as wonderful as Pueblo's
municipal strides in the same
period"
The Pueblo Star says: To-day
the court house is about deserted,
both justice courts and the county
commissioners are adjourned, the
streets wear deserted look, and
it seems more like Sunday than
Thursday, all because it is Water
melon Day at Rocky Ford, and
Pueblo has sent a delegation of
1,20O representative citizens to as
sist in honoring the occasion"
The Lamar Sparks says: "The
Lamar people who visited Rocky
Ford on Watermelon Day say the
attendance and the entertainment
equaled those of last year. The
citizens of the Rocky Ford country
are famed for their hospitality,
and each year strengthens their
reputation in this regard"
The Colorado City Iris says:
"Since taking in the feast at Rocky
Ford the Iris is inclined to favor
the free and unlimited coinage of
watermelons instead of pumpkins
That the good people of Otero
county favored the free and un-
limited consumption of water
melons on Thursday there can be
no doubt"
The Trinidad Daily News is
truthfully complimentary in the
following: IF. w. Blair and Ed.
West took in the Rocky Ford fair
and Watermelon Day this week,
returning last evening. Mr.. Blair
is immensely delighted with the
Arkansas valley around Rocky
Ford, and the wonderful agricul-
tural developments of the region.
The people are wide awake and
pushing, far more SO than the i'll
habitants of this city. He affirms
that Trinidad and vicinity is fifty
years behind the residents of
Rocky Ford and the region round
about in the race for progress"
The Fort Collins Courier votes
our fair and feast q success: "F.
l.. Watrous, assistant agricultu-
ralist, and MIR. Kenrick, herdsman,
at the State Agricultural coliege,
returned Saturday evening from
Rocky Ford, where they went the
fore part of last week with an ex-
hibit of college farm products and
college stock, which was made at
the annual fair Of the Rocky Ford
Fair association. Their exhibit
was fine one and attracted
great deal of attention and the
fair association highly appreciated
the efforts of the college in that
direction. The fair and water
melon feast was a great success,
over 5000 people being in attend
ance on Watermelon Day"
The Fort Collins Express en-
Enthusiastically says: "Mr. Frank
L. Watrous, assistant agricultural
list at the State Agricultural col
lege, has our thanks for two i'm
mense watermelons which he left
at the Express Office on Monday
morning. The melons came from
Rocky Ford and were presented to
us with the compliments of Mayor
G.. w. Swink and the Rocky Ford
Fair association. A word descrip-
ton would never do justice to the
magnificent melons. The largest
one weighed 37a pounds and the
other one about 30. We have
often heard of Rocky Ford and
the famous "Melon Day." but we
never realized the full significance
of the term until we had partaken
of this fruit for which Otero
county is so Justly celebrated"