The Express.
London, England, 1851-10-25 00:00:00

MIL MECRI ON AGRICULTURE.

At the Saffron Walden Agricultural Society's din-
ner, on Wednesday, Mr. Mechi, in proposing the health of
the judges of the day, spoke as follows respecting the pre-
sent condition and future prospects of agriculturists:
After alluding to the delightful bond of union that existed,
between Lord Braybrooke, his family, and the neighbour-
hood, he said they bad heard something of the difficult po-
sition of the agriculturists, which meant, he supposed, the
position of the landlord, the tenant, and the labourer; and
also, as was observed by Lord Hardwicke, of the tithe- I
owner and the government. There were five parties
concerned, but they would allow him to invert the order
and begin with the labourer, because he thought indus-
try was the parent of capital, and the labourer was the
foundation of agricultural operations. (Cheers.) Now,
the) were here to eine:lk the truth; and he believed, from
all the inquiry he had been able to make, that the eau-
ditiun of the agricultural labourer wits most satisfactory.
Ile was not alluding to the state of the pinue rates, because
he knew the low price of produce had a tendency to di-
minish rates ; but he said the labourer was in a prosperous
(audition. Why was it so? (Marks of dissent.) lie
should be happy to hear an objection, but he stated what
he believed to be the truth, and why he believed it was
this: In Essex the ordinary esimate el a labourer's week's
wages was the value of a bushel of dour; that had been
the general rule of action, and as the price of the bushel
of flour now was as 6J., and he heard they were giving
7s. lid. a week in this neighbourhood, and in his own
neighbourhood they gave Bs. and beer, it showed that the
labourer was better off. (A person exclaimed, "The wages
arc not so high.") lie knew there were smite gave 6s. bid.,
some is. 6.1., some Bs. and 93.; and probably the average
would be about Os. or is. lid. Well, then, it must be quite
clear that wages being 7s. lid., the labourer must be in a
better state, and he was sure they were all delighted that
it was so. (Hear.) Now, he went from the labourers to
the tenants; he knew this was ticklish ground, and in the
first place he must state that the law price of the tamers'
produce—he meant of corn, fur meat was dear enough—
certainly entitled him to all the deductions iu the coat of
his productiens that ha could fairly claim. They knew the
great items in that cost were rent, labour, tithe, and go-
vernment taxation. New they could nut complain particu-
larly about lairour ; lie did not think they did, and the
labourer was well off; but he did think that rent should be
reduced, if they were to have permanently a low price of
corn, to eumenting like a fair proportion to the price of their
produce. (Cheers.) lie believed in many cases that had
nicest done, and in many other caner where it had not been
done, it would be done, either from the good 'tense mid
calculation of the proprietors eh:met:lves, or from tine stern
force of compulsion and necessity. (Hear, hear.) lie came
now to the tithe, Ball the clergy would find to their
sorrow that they would sink or swim with the farmer; but
the fanners must recollect that if they were paying the
tithe rent-charge on a high price now, they had Oita mice,
and were bound to pay on it. lie did not say whether it
was right or wrung to ha the charge on so high a scale,
but he wished the tithe were higher on the haulers, be-
cause it proved that they had hail more, and they should
all be sorry to see it so low next year. Then they came
to the landlord, end in reference to this point he telt they
were iu a cumperatively happy district, for lie was sure the
landlords he SAW there were too much urea of business to
expect their tenants to pay their rent out of capital ; but
if the tenants gut a proportionate reduction, he did nut
think they would be so Inanity off. (" Hear," and dissent.)
They heard a deal about agricultural ruin. Now, in com-
merce, when they heard a man was ruined, when they
looked fur him he was gone, and his name was in the
Gazelle, but when he (Mr. al.) came here, he still saw
the same happy faCeS. (No, no.) lie did nut say all, but
he saw a great many that he had seen before continuing in
the same tenure. (A voice, "Not happy.") He could
only say that he recognised those much honoured names,
the Clay-dons, and the -ebbs, and the Junkie's, as being
still there, and lung might they remain. But Inc would nut
hear of their being ruined, because he did not believe it to
be the case. (A Voice," Where is the balance sheet)") In
reference to that he would only say that in the course of a
few weeks, at the request of the Society of Arts, he eliould
lay before them a copy of hiS books, and he had no doubt
many would be happy to see he had lost sonic money, if it
should be so ; they a ould then be made happy for once.
(Laughter.) But at all events, last year he had a valuation
of his property—a very anti-factory one to him as a landlord
—and this year they should have it as a tenant; but Inc
would nut unticipate, and till the neat month he hoped
they would restrain their impatience. (Hear.) The
questions had been asked—has agriculture dune her duty ?
Ile denied that she had. If he took the state of cultiva-
tion in Cambridgeshire, he should feel happy on the subject
of agriculture, because they had there men of great ability
and great capital, who were an honour to their country
in itariculture, and he honestly believed they were nut
losing money. (Hear, hear) nut let them look at the
general state of the country ; go from one county to ano-
ther and look at the reports on farming iu the different
counties of the kingdom, and lie said that the almost univer-
sal complaint was, that good farming was the exception,
and bad farming was the rule. (No, no.) lie excepted
parts of Norfolk and Cantbridgeshire, but when they
spoke of the whole kingdom, they spoke of Ire-
land, Scotland, and England, and if they had read
the reports on the farming of the different counties, he
thought as „honest men they must come to the convictions
that however high the agriculture et this country might
stand as compared with other nations, generally it was low
compered with that perketion which existent in parts of
this country. Let them recollect it was their duty to im-
prove it. Look at what the manufacturers were doing :
and manufactures were essential to their success. Ile had
had at his farm this year crowds al foreigners teem all parts
of the world ; he bad talked with them upon the subject, and
as to labour, he had gone into a comparison of its cost,
both as to the money paid and the work done, and he
could prove to them that the labour of England, taken by
the quantity of work, was as cheap as any, if not the cheap-
est in the world. There was a fact for Mr. Jonas to look at.
(Laughter.) He believed, therefore, so tar as foreign
labour went, they had noti.ing to fear. Then, as to the
manufactures, trade, and commerce of this coutare, let them
look at the advantages the agriculturists; poeneased from
these. lie had said to these foreigners, " What do you do
with your corn ?" and they said, " We send it to England ;
we cannot :dieted to eat it ourselves, and we send it to you ;
it is with meat the same, it is half the price because we have
no one to sell it to;" and the aariculturists in this country
would be in the same state if they had not a district which
afforded a market to send their turn to. lie sent his corn
to the manufacturing district ; and therefore the greater the
union between them the better for those two interest', and
the happier for the country at large. (Cheers.) Then
apint, look to the difference in practice in agriculture
in different parts of the country. There was as much
as 21 per cent. difference, and this in any manufac-
ture would cause its entire removal from one part to
another, and he did not know whether If per cent. would
not do it. Essex, for instance, ploughed with two horses,
and atonal pre-eminent fur ploughing, while in some other
counties they used six in a line ; and having appealed to a
surveyor in Herts on the subject, he sent hint the
allowances made there for the ploughing on heavy
land, and he found the first ploughing 135., the second
11s., the third 10s., and the fourth 83. ; and he be-
lieved there were four ploughings for wheat. (A Voice—
s' I don't believe it— it is not generally the ease.") Ile
gave no names, but this letter was dated from Herts
lest week. Then let them look at the extraordinary dis-
crepancy as to the form and size of the fields, and the
system of management. Look at Norfolk and Cambridge-
&ire, and they saw large fields. He knew a farm in
Norfolk of 1,000 acres in only four fields ; he went into
Devonshire, and he found there • farm that • gentleman
told him the tenant had left, and he could not let it, and'
on inquiry what it was, he said it was a farm of 67
acres, and there were 27 fields. Thus he had 27 gates
to open, had got 27 headlands, and 27 hedges full of trees,
sod then the tenant could not live. (Hear.) Was that a
solitary instance? lie appealed to a noble lord there,
whether he did not know one whole parish in which there
was an average of three-acre fields? Then what eon-
&mien could they draw, but that agriculture was in •
nest backward state, as compared to manufactures and
Wade. This must be amended. He heard of landlords
who could not let their farms, heavy undrained land ; and
when they were told to keep stock on it, could they, he
would ask, keep stock on heavy land in winter, unless they
bad buildings to put it in? Then there were landlords who
did not like to cut down their timber. But all this must
come to an end before they could go to the country and show
they had dense their duty as agriculturists—and by agricul-
turists he meant the landlord, the tenant, and the labourers.
' Therefore, he said, let them go to the country with clean
' hands, and be sure they had done their duty before they
complained. (Hear.) Then as to the management of
their stock—he did not speak of the men there, for he
called them the Napoleons of farming, and he said if
all the country was farmed as Cambridgeshire was, the
foreigner could not put his head in with his foreign corn.
(Hear.) He believed they would have to produce corn as
the manufacturer did his cotton ; for the manufacturer sold
to them at one time for 3s. Oil. that which he now sold to
them at 64., and got a better profit. How was that done ?
Not by the old clumsy system of weaving by hand; but let
them look to what had been done in m inufacturce, to the
capital invested in machines, nut only to make the article,
but to make the machinery, as shown in the Great Ex•
hibition. Then he said to the agriculturists, compare
your own clumsy mechanical contrivances with this,
and I do say agriculture is far behind in its application
of steam power, in drainage, in fences, and rim-
bee—your buildings are badly placed, and before you can
produce the article at a cheap price, and in abundant
quantity, you must remedy all these things. With respect
to taxation, he thought it did nut require any conjuror to
show that they bought all their things at the cheapest rase.
" No, no.'') Why, his lady bought two beautiful dresses
the other day for is. 10d., and he bought an umbrella the
day before yesterday for 181, a very good one. (Laughter.)
He stated this to show that the expenses of the farmer
were reduced in • great degree by the articles imparted for
his use. (Hear.) One word as to himself. It might or
might not be fortunate that he was connected with agricul
ture ; but he bought some tarms,and binding them undrained,
awl the buildings tumbling down, he said tu the tenana" Pay
me a fair per tentage, and I will do all that is required.
The tenant said the farm was poor, and would not pay for
it ; to which he replied, "Then give it up, and 1 will do it
myself." He did do it himself—and let them remember
that the more capital they got from manufactures to lay
out on azriculture, the more corn they would get, the more !
labour they would employ, and the less pauperism they i
would have—and he could only soy that the expenditure
of his money in agricultural pursuits was a thing he should
never regret. He did not at all admit that good drainage,
the removal of fences, and other things of this kind were
wiyirolitable, but if they were, ho said the satisfaction wait