The Express.
London, England, 1853-07-21 00:00:00

MR. MECHI'S GATHERLNG AT TIPTREE.

Mr. Meal's annual gathering at Tiptreo Hall,
took place yesterday, under very favourable auspices,
whether we consider the weather or the temper of the agri-
culturists who juiced his party. At nine o'clock in the
morning a special train received some hundred and fifty of
the invited guests. Two hours travelling througk a flat
country intersected by streams and broad ditches, as well as
by numerous hedges crowded with timber, ►rought the

convoy to Kelveden station, where a number of omnibuses,
flys, etc. were put into requisition for a further journey of
four miles. This journey through country of the tame
character as that traversed by the railway, in which the
small enclosures and the evident need of drainage were
very noticeable, ended a little beyond Tiptree Heath, a bar-
ren waste, almost too stony amt. gravelly for even furze to
flourish. An iron sign post, with the words "To Tiptree
Farm," was the first hint of modern manufactures in this
part of Essex. At the same time tho black smoking
chimney rising from a psrellelogrsm of farm buildings
showed that Mr. lllechi's steam-engine was in full :work,
and two men handling hose, from which a yellow stream
was discharged upon a broad grass field, left no doubt that
the flat, unpicturesque, neat, squarely-arranged fieldr,
with close clipped fences, was Mr. Mecbi's famous farm.
An avenue, bordered with young laurels, lad to the house,
which forms one side of the homestead—a neat villa, of no
pretension, flanked by a pretty conservatory. Mr. Mechi
received hie guests on the lawn, where a tent was pitched,
adorned, externally withspecimens of wheat roots and rye-
grass grown on the farm, and internally with bread, cheese,
fruit, and mugs of beer. After a slight attack upon this
" produce of tillage and manure," the march of inspection
commenced with the gardens, where the drainage of the
farm has been collected into a sort of artificial canul or re-
servoir. Outside the garden, but close adjoining, was the
liquid manure tank, which, when replenished with solid
manure, received a supply of water for dilution from the
reservoir, or, if needful, from a spring into which Mr. Mechi
has concentrated all the moisture which once saturated
a bog ho has reclaimed. A pump, worked by the steam-
engine, communicates with the liquid manure tank, and

with irrigating pipes carried underneath a field of rye grass,
which was visible from the road as we approached.
Following our leader tramping through the long, damp
grass, we came to the two men who were actively engaged
in watering a part of the field which had recently been
eaten down close by a flock of 300 black-faced sheep.
A strong farmyard odour showed very unmistakeably that
it was not pure water that rushed in continuous streams
from the long gotta percha hose wielded by Mr. Neches
gardeners.

_
The condition of the ryegrats left no question of the effi-
ciency of this mode of applying liquid manure.
The sheep employed for feeding off this crop were con-
fined in iron hurdles mounted on low wheels; which we
saw shifted with the flock by one man in less than a quarter
of an hoar.

The party, which by this time had been jsined by the

contents of a second train from London, next proceeded to
a fallow field, to see a trial of Samuelson's digging ma-
chine. On their way they passed excellent crops of wheat,
and a very superior field of beans. It was noticeable that
both these crops were most luxuriant in the slopes towards
which the liquid manure must have flowed.
The performance of the digging machine, to which, at
first, six and then eight horses were attached, was hailed
with loud cheers by some enthusiastic spectators, but to us
it was by no means satisfactory. It certainly did not pro-
duce the effect of digging with forks or of dccp ploughing
with the same number of horses. The power put in requi-
sition was tremendous, and the result was rather that of a
barrow than of a plough. That it may become a valuable
implement, is probable, but at present it certainly is nut an
economical substitute fur others now in use on well
managed farms.
The trial of BlTortnick's reaping machine, drawn by two
horses, on a piece of wheat followed. The machine was
drawn across the ridges, and certainly did its work ex-
tremely well. The wheat was all clean and cast by the
raker, who rode on the machine, in coavenient stooks for
binding. . . . . . . . . .

Atte; visiting the feeding stalls, where the pigs lodged on
stnw very comfortably looked sell, and the cattle on
boards very uncomfortable, a summons to a handsome cold
luncheon was received with decided satisfaction.
Mr. Mechi was supported by the Earl of Harrowhy, as

vice-president, Lords Kinnair d and Ebrington, Captain
Peel, Messrs. Gurney, Charles Knight, E. Chadwick,

T. Mock, M.P., ll.Waddington, F. Fuller, Dr. Southwood
Smith, the Rev. Sir J. Page Wood, and upwards of two
hundred guests, including several distinguished foreign

agriculturists.
In the course of the speech in which Mr. Meebi re-
turned thanks for his health proposed by tho Earl of
Harrowby, be said that it was not the question whether
his operations had been carried on at a profit, but whe-
ther the course he had pursued in diminishing the num-
ber of hedgerows, draining effectively, manuring amply,
and supporting a large herd of fat stock where scarcely
any could live before his time was aiming at the true prin-
ciples of farming and setting a wholesome example.
At nine o'clock a special train brought the large party
Ito town, delighted with their day. Many who visited
Tiptree for the first time with strong prejudices were
very favourably impressed by the skill, ingenuity, and en-
terprise of the hospitable owner.

Among the guests were :—The Right Hon. the Earl of
Harrowby, Prince Czartoryski, Lord Kinnaird, Viscount
Ebrington, Le Visoonate de Courzay, the Rev. Sir J. P.
Wood, Bart., Sir E. N. Button, Bart.., R. Cobden, Esq.,
M.P., D. Waddington, Esq., M.P., J. Bsgshaw, Erg.,
M.P., and son, Thomas Alcock, Esq., M.P., Captain W.
Peel, R.N., the Mayor of Gloucester, the Hon. Stephen
Salisbury, America; Sir C. Barry, J. B. Western, Esq.,
Sutton Western, Esq., T. Raymond Barker, Esq., W.
Fisher Hobby, Esq., M. Banal, Professor of Chemistry,
&c., of Paris ; M. Oourdier, of Paris ; M. Allier, of Paris :
Professor Way, Professor Henslow, Professor Voelcker, of
the Royal Agricultural College at Cirencester; Colonel
Leslie, Captain Alexander, Captain Dashwood, Dr. Julius
Faucher, Dr. Gilbert, Rothampstead ; Dr. Allman, Dublin ;
Dr. Milroy, C. Ponsonby, Esq., Major Curteis, Charles
Knight, Esq., Samuel Sidney, Esq., Samuel Gurney, Esq.,
Harry Chester, Esq., J. A. Hardcastle, Esq., Rey. R.
Drummond, Feering ; Rev. Henry Cripps ; Rev. J. C.
Blair Warren, Rev. F. Tbunby, Rev. G. Wilkins, Rev.
Thos. Hugo, M.A., Sayers Turner, Esq., Vyner, Erq.,
Members and officers of the General Boat' of Health,
Whitehall—Edwin Chadwick, Esq., C. 8., Dr. Southwood
Smith, W. Ranger, Esq., W. Lee, Esq., T. W. Rammell,
Esq., W. Marshall, Esq., Clerk to the Local Board of
Health, Ely; W. Burton, Esq., Chairman of the Local
Board of Health, Tottenham; W. Carpenter, Erg., Chair-
man of the Local Board of Health, Leamington ; Veley,
Esq., Chairman of the Local Board of Health, Braintree ;
C. T. Hatfield, Esq., member of the Board of Health.
Margate ; Rowland Hill, Esq., T. Raymond Barker, Esq.,
Marlyn Roberts, Esq., Gerrard's Cron ; Robert Gillespie,
Ertl, E. Holland, Esq., Dumbleton ; J. Laurie, E.g.;
Joseph Smith, Esq., Carshalton ; George Round, Esq., J.
Gadesden, Esq., Ewell Castle ; J. Laycock, Esq., Winlaton ; '
Francis Fuller, Esq., 11. Roberts, Esq., W. C. Alston,
Esq., James Beadel, Req., H. Bullock, Esq., W. Peel
Croughton, Esq., Tenterden ; Coles Child, Esq., E. Dixon,
Esq., J. H. Downer, ; J. Churchill, Esq. ; F.
Deane, Esq., W. Drummond, Esq., J. Leacher, Esq., C.
Johnson, Esq., R. H. Chapman, Erg., T. Cardue, Esq.,
W. F. Karkeek, Esq., Cornwall; W. Sandle, Esq. ; B. T.
B. Gibbs, Esq.; Geo. Gay ford, Esq. ; H. C. Gaylord, Esq.;
J. B. Bunning, Esq. ; F. Chancellor, Esq. ; W. Cartwright,
Esq. ; R. Cutts, Esq.; J. B. Denton, Esq. ; W. Eve, Eql.,
Ockenden ; A. Bricknell, Esq. ; W. Bird, Esq. ; John
Ford, Esq. ; F. Gibbins, Esq. ; H. Joyner, Esq. ; J. M.
Paine, , Farnham; Hy. Briggs, Esq., Wakefield;
Viger., Erg. ; E. Homer, Esq.; Gibson, Esq.; M.
Hammond, Esq.; Cassidy, Esq. ; A. Hey, Esq ; F.
Crisp, Esq. ; J. Coverdale, Errs. ; L. H. Culuberbatch,
Esq. ; Mr. S. Sydney ; Mr. W. -Hutchinson ; Mr. lanes ;
Mr. R. Kersey; Mr. Nind, Waterford ; Moron. Farrow
Mr. Cteler . • Mr. Glenn Mr. W. Green ; Mr. S. Sur-
ridge;/if
Mr. Stutchfield ; r. Winkworth, Mr. Wilson, farm
bailiff to his Royal llighneus Prince Albert ; Mr. R. Gar-
rett, Sazmundham ; Mmes. Burgers and Key, Nf.wgate-
street ; Mr. Samuelson, Banbury ; ME. H. Bentalr. ,
Heybridge ; Mr. J. S. Wilson ; Ddr.ll. Francis.