The Express.
London, England, 1855-07-23 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY

THE CARLISLE MEETING OF THE ROYAL
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY.

At 2 en Saturday afternoon. Mr. Maid, as announced, de-
livered abets, la the Attorney= leetaresroom, before the
members of the Carible District Farmer' Club and other
Maids of agriculture. There was a very large attendance.
G. H. Hasp, Esq., the president, Meek the chair. Mr.
Mesabi sat on the chairman's right hand. He had before
him upon the table several bundles of fine specimens of
wheat and oats from Tiptree.had estate, which were objects
of mach cariosity and admiration.
The Pataimure, In opening the proceedings, said--
Gentlemen, it is my duty to Introduce to you to-day a gen-
tlemen who is well known to all of yen by name, and 1
dere say personally to many present. I have simply to ay
that Mr. Meek( has been kind enough to come to Carlisle on
ttie interesting occasion, and has very courteously, at elle
desire of the committee of the Farmers' Club, came ted to
deliver a lecture upon the present prospects of the anneals
tare of the country. (Chun.)
Mr. Memel was received with oonsiderable applause.
After some general preliminary remarks, he said—Gentle.
men, I do not come here today pretending to teach you
anything in agriculture, because I kaow that many of you
I sank very high as practical farmers and improven; and I
also know that you hale in this e tasty a nobleman end
' many gentlemen whose sagacity and means have , ft eted an
ainant of agricalteval progression and amenemoot alikL
litianurable and profitable to themselves and highly teeter
=to the restrict. (Hess, hear) But, gentlemen, tt IS by
Mg our heads together end comparing notes abet sete
Sake proven. The public dinuano• and investigation et
doubtful points or new principles dispel prejnaice sod
stimulate amendment. Before we had railways we mild
bats no great agricultural meetings like that new about,
to take place henr. (Cheers.) Rea comity and every
parish was locked up in the comfortable assurance of self.
sufficient supetiority or supposed perfution—(leughter)—
but the curtain was rudely withdrawn when the iron
steed hurried the neglectful farmer through rich and glow
lug crops, with all the other 'videlicet* of an elevated sod
eonsequently profitable occupation. It was tot only the
fanner, but also the landlord and general observer, that
saw all thie. I don't know a mere suggestive agricul-
tural monitor than the railway during April tad May—just
now when the waving corn has asserted its superiority, and
concealed below its stems the weeds, evidences of poverty
and eeglec., just conclusions can hardly be arrived at; but
in May the tiffanies and impoverishing weed appeals with
unmistakeable truth to the pity or censure 01 the calcu-
lating observer. (Hear.) 'Tis true you are told, "Oh ! the
railway runs through the poorest district of our county "
yes, but I reply, why is it the remelt ? Because it is wet
and nenlrained. You know full well that railways
always seek the lowest levels—and common sense tells
as that the lowest grails, if properly drained, are
naturally always the best. On, but then there is no
acted for the water." This is a poor excuse whilst
you have the evidence of the great Bedford Level—
once a quagmire, but now teeming with fertility owing to
drainage by steam power—which causes ea artificial fall
Some of you may be aware that I allude to 200,000 sera of
land in the neighourhood of Lincoln which was little better
than a duck pond, but the water having been thrown out by
steam power it has become one of the richest agricultural
districts io t:e kingdom. I say again, the question of eget
cultural improvement is not dependent upon Mr. Alechi's
sauna cr failure. Tiptreo farm might have been brought
to the hammer, tint deep drainage on strong ciao would/
still have been a great truth. I know that many a herd
battle has been taught over my agricultural suggestions or
pretensiens ; hut I only did in sericulture what I would do
in any other business—prefer common sense truths to old
prejudices. (Hear.) I sin happy to say I have succeeder',
and am now well remunerated for my exertions. It is not
the man who farms at the least expense who makes the most
money—(bear, hear)—on the contrary, the " bread and
cheese" principle of non-improvement entails poverty and
misery. (Hear.) The real question is, what does it cult
per quarter to produce your corn ? Nine times out of ten
it will be Vend that those who spend the most money per
acre get their produce at the lowest cost, and of coarse
make the largest profit. I believe that if rents were
doubled—(laughter)—don't be alarmed gentlemen—(rw
newed laughter)—the farmers would be better off—(great
laughter, and some cries of " Hear, hear," will' expressious
of dissent)—provided—(hear, and laughter)—provided the
increase represented the fair interest Or drainage and other
anemia improvements. (liege, hear.) It has been well
stated by a will known practical farmer (Mr. Hope, of
Fenton Biro, East Lothian), that if he spend. 1/. per acre,
or 6001. a year on erilifleial_Maelararh—lamenaksii a profit
—if he omits to do so ho fans* at a bas—and I believe
it, gentlemen. (Hear, hear.) Same of the most successful
and wealthy men I know of as farmers are those who have
expended ti.eir improved gleans in large agricultural amend
meets. ledeed, I know one who, in the course of a long
tenure of a large farm, has expended 50,000/. on oibcake,
and 25,0001. in artificial matinees—and I believe that is
a point which particularly tffeces your country ; there
is no secret about it—the gentleman I refer to is Mr.
Huileoe, of etiolate,, one of the late Lord Leicester's
beet neat I can only say if Too do es he has done you
will make the beet of it—buy estates fur yourselves.
(Hear, hear.) I call him • king amongst fanners. The
scythe is the twiner's great enemy. Cut off your green
crops with sbeep's teeth, and cram them well with lin-
seed or rope cake. Thus yon will spare labour and two
outages, waste end manure, and so no. (Hear, hear.)
In another part of his lecture Mr. hlechl said. I bear
that some of you are still sowing broad-cast, thus depriving
yourselves of the horse-hoe. la conclusion, a great many
egrioniturel gnestincs are wrrking their way towards a se-
lotion. The question of guarding the interest of both land-
lord and leant by the ass of the County Court, and a
'Must', n fur improvements, has brim ably discussed by the i
Boeley Farmers' Club in Hampshire. A common sense
system of agricultural statiatios has been carried out in '
anent manner and faith by the intelligent members of the
Highland Agricultural Society of Sew land. The etre sof
brad, meat, beer, milk, sad vegetables, that cmstantly fi )w
lato London, so poison the Thames and the popula-
tion, that folks are real :y thinking it will be pru-
dent and profitable that the aforesaid necessary articles
should be made to fine back to the lands from which
they came, and that the farmers should no kepr be
easpelled to restore what they have exhausted from the
land by bird's dung from Peru, °Bake from every country
Ifa the world, and bones from all yards and graveyards oni
Christendom. (Lageter ) Yes, gentlemen, I believe
human bones are takes from the graveyards abroad and
brought to this country for the purpose of growing you ,
turnips. (Laughter.) Many are doubtless unaware that even
the dried flesh and bones of bullacks from South America
are ground to powder in London, sown on the land in Nor-
folk, and consumed as beef by the ishabitants of London,
baying merely first passed Into the sheet, cf Science
has shown as by mean of our Liebige, Ways, Platelet., and
Lawns, that this very solid and comlortableslooking meeting
is competed of 75 per cent. of water, 25 per cunt. of wind or
gas, sad only 3 per cent. of mother earth, to which we shall
all sem* day return. The great mineral theory is now!
triumphing, led we know that unlces you fluidise the silica
and soda of the soil you cannot have a good glazed standing
sop of corn. The ammonia of the air will do this if you
give it time, sod the agricultural philosopher nee: flostisg
in the atmosphere rounds of beef, quarter loaves, and
nearly all the materialism of vitality end humanity. The
Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester, which in its
early formstian was condemned by many good, honest,
practical farmers, has now become an established fact—
enlarging the agricultural mind and dispelling the doub's
of ignorance by scientific education and research. I
feel delighted that its students ors taking high positions
se Falai fanners and sawn of estates, sod met
almost every number of the Royal Agricultural liteietys
Journal contains some of their prig essays. Gentlemen, J
I think a college of that kind in this county would eat
ruin it. (Laughter.) The labourer is not forgotten in I
this g I progress. New se, oils are gradually spring-
ing up in hitherto untaught d!stricts, and let us hope
that a more general intelligence will remove mob of
that prejudice which obstructs amendment. So far es I
am personally concerned, I feel sme gratification that I
have outlived a great storm of ridicule and censure, and
when I am about to leave this busy scene, the reflection that
I erected the first new steam engine in my great county,
that the first bag of guano sown by me, ridiculed by my
neighbours as a mere peppering of the land, will afford me
the same gratifien.ion. I feel that the publicity of my
sentiments has not been injurious to the genera welfare of
British agricultural progress. (lieu, hear.) Before I sit
down, permit me to say that I am quite willing and pre-
pared to answer any questions, or enter upon any details,
that this meeting may consider desirable or ussfal.
Mr. Mauer added, I would merely mention that I have
brought you an honest specimen of my crops. It is growers
on very poor barren heath, with not a grain of lime fa the
soil. (A laugh.) I only envy you your soil. I don't
know what I should grow if I only had your soil. (Laughs
Vt.) Here are five or six different sorts of wheat and opt},
all grown without any manure after preview erne*
scene after turnips, some after weeds and clover, and some I
alter turnips that have been fed cif by sheep. You me
judge for yentselves what they are likely to be, but if yen
will some and see me at Tiptree Hall I should be very ea:
to show you the fields themselves. I hope some gentlemen
will nice a question far diunssilmo. I with to make
meeting metal to the locality, and it is only by disown:it
that correct information an be arrived at. (Cheers )
Captain Jamas said be had been requested by the coin
mitten of the Farmers' Club to propose a vote of thanks to
Mr. Meehi for the very able, talented, kind, and geed
humoured way in whisk he had done them the honour of
teetering before them. He was glad Mr. Mecei had avail
discussion, and there were very few points which he (Cale.
Junes), as a practical farmer, long resident in the covey,
should feel disposed to differ from, for he thought a great
deal of good Was done by pointing out their deficiencies in