The Press.
London, England, 1857-11-28 00:00:00

MR. MECHI ON AGRICULTURE.

AT a meeting of the Coggeshall Agricultural Scciety
last week, Mr. Mechi in the course of the evening
rose and said :

Be could not help comparing his position fourteen or
fifteen years ago with what it was now. He then was
considered little less than an impostor, or the promoter of
sone wild and visionary schemes, but he knew that he
had strong prejudices to encounter, and that the truth
would prevail. For instance, when he put up a steam-
engine it was thought the most absurd act which he could
perform ; and now he had the gratification of seeing his
neighbours possessed each of his steam•engine, and heard
of one gentleman in Chelmsford having as many as thir-
teen, which he let out upon hire. The farmer had now
found it to his interest to cast away the flail, which cost
s., as an instrument for thrashing his corn, and to use a
machine which cost 3001., as, notwithstanding the enor
mous disparity in expense, the steam-engine would pro.
duce a cheaper result. The other day he went down to
Wandsworth, with Mr. Caird and Mr. Morton, to see a
scheme of railway adapted for agricultural purposes,
patented by Mr. Halket, by which he promises to plough
land at a cost of Is. 7a. per acre, hoe it at Is. 3d., and get
in the harvest at Is. per acre, carrying the manure, &c., of
the farm at Id. per ton per mile, leaving a margin for the
interest of the cost of railway, which could be adapted to
the farm at a cost of 241. per acre. By this scheme he
might plough his land by night as well as by day if he
pleased, and if it were necessary for the production of a
good crop that the land should be brought in contact with
the air, they would see how important it was to have a
long fallow.

Mr. Mechi further described the nature of this im-
plement, and expressed his opinion in favour of its
practicability. With reference to the appropriation
of sewage manure to the soil, he said Professor Way
bad been sent to Milan for the purpose of examining
the drainage, so as to adopt some scheme for saving
the sewage of London, which was of immense value,
but which now ran into the Thames and was entirely
lost. He believed the difficulty presented was merely
a test of scientific skill, and that it only required
some mechanical contrivance to accomplish the
object:—

There were yet many things which might be done by
agriculturists to great advantage, but he could not forget
how much some had done, and that there was one gen-
tleman present who every year burnt at least 1,000 tons of
earth into ashes, which, laid upon heavy clay land, greatly
increased its fertility. His experience of French agricul-
turists convinced him that they were not behind them-
selves in point of intelligence, but he was also convinced
of the vast superiority of Englishmen in point of capital
and means, the cry of France being, " Where is the
money to come from ?" Upon the question of thin sowing,
he was glad to find a great change of public opinion in
favour of the adoption of such a plan; one bushel per acre
was enough seed upon his land, and, though he would not
lay that down as a principle, he would recommend them
to try it, and be was certain of the result.

THE RESTORATION OF MOHAN FERRERS CHURCH
has been resolved on. The estimated expense is
6,0001., of which sum 3,200/. has been raised, leaving
a deficiency of 2,800/. The great cost is attributable
solely to the immense size of the building.