Waterbury Democrat., 1902-07-25
THE CROP OUTLOOK

Farmers Have Been Hopeful of a Good Season Up to the Last Downpour
 Up to the present downpour the out look for crops have been fairly good as two weeks of comparatively clear and warm weather had worked Wond- CTS with them and they are coming up fast Potatoes are riDening fast, the cool weather having been very faVor- able for them. Many fields are being dug, the first potatoes in the market bringing $1 bushel This price can not be obtained long. however, as the potato crop is unusually large this year.
 Corn has been the greatest sufferer by the cold, wet weather, and the fields look as they usually do the first part of June. The warm weather of the last two weeks, however, has brought it up wonderfully and with the next two weeks of the same kind of weather and a late summer season, the crop will not fall off much from last year. The late pea crop is fairly large and sweet. The price is not nearly as high as the price of the early peas were. One of the principal reasons of the scarcity of the pea crop this year was that the seed crop was unusually light last year. Therefore, the price of seed was high and only about half as much peas were planted last year.
 Another reason given is that the high price of seed was great temptation to the seed dealers to mix old seed with the new, and then sell the farmers, when they claimed that the seed was poor, the dealers claimed that it was all right, but that it was the season that was to blame for the poor crop
 Summer squash are not plentiful yet and it is doubtful if they are this year, the onion crop is very large. Turnips and parsnips are growing fast and there will probably be large supply of these
 Cabbages, onions and carrots are very plentiful. If the weather con- tinues to be as favorable the next two weeks as it has in the past two, the chances are that celery will be on the market in less than three weeks The fruit crop, although fair, will fall far short of the heavy crop of two years ago and trifle beloy the average.
 The late spring frosts did a great deal of damage to the blossoms on pears, peach and plum trees. The fruit of these three trees will be small CT in quantity and poorer in quality, in conse1uenee.
 The apple crop will probably be good this year, this being the apple year. The blossoms have not been subjected to as heavy winds this year as they were last year. Berries have been very late and of poor quality this year, according to local raisers. Strawber- ries have been exceedingly poor. Blackberies and blueberies are begin ming to be more plentiful now, how ever The grape crop will probably be fair this year. and the prospects are that the grapes will be of first class quality
 The hay crop will be slightly lighter than that of last year The small amount of rainfall in May gave the grass poor start and the wet wealth CT in June checked the work of har- yesting to great extent. The farm CTS are making good time now. how ever, and are filling up their barns be- tween showers. The shortage in the crop will probably not be extensive enough to make the price any higher as It is already unusually high. It will be S20 ton next winter, the same price it is now.
 Wheat. oats and barley are not raised to any great extent in this part of the state. The oat crop will he about the best it has been for num- Der of years. The rains have prevent ed the crop from being damaged by tba hot sun, and the best oats that have been reaped for years will be reaped this year. The rye cron is poor. the rains having done great deal of dam age to it and will not be anywhere near up to the average.
 Farmers say that the potato bug has troubled them very little this year.. They also say that the lice, which did So much damage to peas two years ago, have 2ot been seen to any great extent this year. Take it all in all the signs are now that the year will be about up to the average in point Of crops.