The Express.
London, England, 1851-06-12 00:00:00

on the land, er keying them to be drawn elf es ,
wanted through the winter. I woe repeatedly told
that Swede and other turnips, tams up In the
autumn, cannot be kept limed thieves the winter,
and that, whether clamped or her in Imam. they
decay. This can only snag des idimemeginesidi
each as taking the roots up in wet wenther. yr not pie-
laxly protecting them when tales up; for I know
groat numbers af heavy land dimes~ m allelsol
parts of the country, who regularly take up SS
Swedes in the autumn, and frequently mho Sim
hold oat until the following May or Jerre. di Se
Main otretios to extending the turnip mop Slim
reps out in that part of the passage I have
which says they must always be grown Sithei
expense of a great quantity of iimmnre."
Why, who expects to get a good crop d tur-
nip. on any lied without a large quanthy of
manure ? Or how can manure be better applied dies
to growing good roots? We may be quite sure diet
whores:neer the met of growing good crops of rata
is grudged, the farming, es not first-rate; that
a of grain is not to be looked fur.
Andrircen eirrlid:se seen and beard in Essex for
some years past I am inclined to believe that the
yield of the whilst mops is usually less than a casual
observation of the crops when growing would lead
one to expect. This I attribute to the still prevalent
practice of 111111111110 T fallowing fur wheat, and laying
a slight dreaming of manure upon the fellows; thia
tends to produce straw in a grcater proportion than
corn. Amongst the best farmers, however, the culti-
vation of roots, especially of mangold worse', is
greatly increasing; and this root has the immefise
advantage of requirire, simple culture only on strong
land. After wheat has been carried, provided the
land is clean, a good dressing of fresh manure is
spread upon the stubble and the land deeply ploughed
once only, remaining in as rough a state as possible
during the winter. In the spring the land is scari-
fied, and not ploughed, and the need drilled in on
the fiat with more or Ices of artificial manure; and the
11:...5ex farmers of the first class have gone forward
in their cultivation of late years. Few of them
will I now subscribe to the position gravely put
forward, in 1944, by Mr. Baker, in his prize essay,
..thst nn other system can be adapted better to the
cultivation of these descriptiots of soil than that
which is at present followed and is secured by con-
ditions in most of the leases." That system was
before stated to comprise 50 acres of fallow on farms
of :101l acres of amble land, of which fallow only one
half or two-third parts would be applied to the
growth of roots. It is certain that the proportion of
green nod root crops on an Essex farm, according to
the usual practice, es much less than in other well-
cultivated districts, and much less than would be
most profitable to the farmer.

In the neighbourhood of Witham the fine estate of
the late Lord Western is very well farmed, by a
superior clam of tenants, who have always held their
farmsupon lease; and the superiority of this pro-
perty to meet others of the district proves the advan-
tage to both landlord and tenant of dealing
with land upon rational principle:a Just beyond
is a small estate, Durward.' Hall, the property of,
and occupied by, Mr. H. Dixon4who laid out a consi-
derable sum of money very judiciously in improving
his farm. He has thoroughly drained the land, and
has throughout the farm removed most of the old
hedgerows and planted new quick hedges, which
form neat and effectual fences without overshadow-
ing his crops. Mr. Dixon has also used the drain-
age water from some deeply seated springs to form
irrigated 1111:0110W4 which, lying on very good
land running down towards the Illackwater, pro-
dere enormous crops of hay as well as feed fur his
dairy rows. My uniermaion on going over Mr.
Dixon's farm was, that few men manage their
arable land better than he does; and the crops he
grows form the safest test of his skill. Still I think
he base not avail himself to the extent he might of
the resources his well-cultivated farm affords for
keepieve live stock, and I am convinced he might
feed snore stuck with much advantage. Crossing the
Blackwater at little Braided, I passed through the
unimproved and not very well cultivated estate of
Mr. Du ('one, where the inferior farm buildings,
keen cons, undrained land, rude and high hedgerows,
and a lam sprinkling of pheasantsitold a tale of the
territorial aristocrat rather than the improving pro-
prietor. If Mr. Du ('ane, who lem told is • young
man ;led an ardent protectionist, would take ahem
from Mr. Dixon on the one side or Mr. Mechi •
the Whet' side of his property, and set about the he.
proviment of his estate ; lie would find it a maws
allti.l.lo.wy occupation than game preserving, and
the very hest system of protection. Beyond Mr.
Du Canes property is Tilerre Heath. Here the
oui is per. wit cold, and barren, and seems to offer
as little invitation to the inipruver as can well he
ogle-rived. Yet it is on land of this sort, not origin-
ally timelt better than the heath, that Mr. ..tlechi
has retrial out his improvements with a zeal
'and vigour which, through exciting no little
objareetion amongst some of the farmers of
his neighhourhcsel, have produced much me-
tal effect in breaking through their prejudices.
1 as-it hastily throa • portion of Mr. Mechi's
land, and observed his wheat to be very fine and
vig er.oes. decidedly better than anything I had seen
in the district, while his tares and other green crops
were 1;1.1 very good. The land under preparation
• Nolv was being deeply and effectively tilled, and
the cultivation altogether bespoke the superinten-
dence of a farmer up to his business. It is a mis-
take to suppose Mr. Mechi to be what some call a
" mere theorist," or that he is making reckless ex-
prriinente in husbandry for the sake of notoriety, Of
from mere self-will. That he has committed errors
is probable, and no one more readily asserts that he
has done so than himself; but he has profited by
mistake.. and abandoutel or altered any practices
he found to be injudicious. Bat in his outlay un his
land, and on his farm buildings, I have seen nothing
to lead to the belief that the expenditure has been
otherwise than provident, and the present appearance
of his land and his wheat crops seems to promise
that the balance-sheet Mr. Meehi has pledged him-
self to produce will not be an unfavourable one. His
system is to grow wheat on one half the farm, and
roots and green crops on the other, and where manure
enough is obtained I am inclined to think that is the
best sperm to adopt. It requires, however, a large
capital per acre, for much stock must be kept ; sad
to keep them with economy there must beads=
machinery boilers, and the like, or the sort of
ut snail I :hour would overpower the farmer. AB
this, as most of your readers probably know, Mr.
Miselii pa-avast.; for his farm has been ro from
d•sveibcd in print, and his doings have been so ill
the subject of remark and discussion, that I alma ale
now attempt any general description. Idols lir
purpose in the hoar call I made at the farm was, as
see hie plan of feeding all his cattle, sheep, and pigs
opoo baanhc and I confess that my peeped,-
sessions were not favourable towards it. I
was satiated, however, that the plan is
one which deserves the attention of farms%
especially upon heavy land, where it is not milli
to feed off turnips on the land. The boards end*
of totem not unlike the bottom of a chicken 'algal
a Liege male, and the spaces are wide enough to per.
mi• the manure to fall or be easily swept tru
into the space underneath. The spoors in the
Oar. are of course wider than those whoa *pa
she•a. ant calves are kept. At first sight delea—b
n of discomfort in seeing animals tree on
half open floors, their hoofs appear to be alwayw
on eel hilf off the spar. and it struck me that the
Wm .4. of the legs of the cattle had becalm pro&
fri.aislv large from the constant exercise they =
en oalking on the spaced floors. But the
wen- all in excellent condition, and lay down mid
g lip on their boarded floors with as much apparent
seeisfaction as they do when littered down with
sues% Pigs and sheep are now generally allowed by
the neighbours to do very well when kept in
this way, the doubts I had hoed expressed
were as to the cattle. The tattle, however,
seem to be as thriving as the analllar stock, and to r•
tartly • lot of yearlings, m the immi caladium,
w. re as thsoi as I do to be shad do-
toot' months all—assaff I ever @swat the= Mr.
Moehi's prom* phis his this: he lap
re tes them -with a very small spitade
making that dollalaney with ladbill
the like. Mims oboe soon helm to amt mad
chef!: and whoa got drag, at about two ',three
months old, they are se the boards eel ars thee
kept eanstantly in killMad^ with noel, gram
food. elm* mil reels, eel elm sheet two yam old,
rue
Tounittt
at thoy_ertigite Ihr the heather. us
sew o 110,X1= villjlag lam
toe to aro woodue•
Idly lab, JIM% tair bow