The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1845-04-28
st. JOhnSbury, Vt April 9S, 1916,

same house, Mr. Mech was confined to his room
twelve or Eileen days by sickness. When in health
was in the habit Of calling ut his room frequently,
more especially when unweIl and then at his request,
receiving his letters and other papers, and conveying
them TO him. While his illness continued, read and
answered his letters, amanuenss. / read
from younger brother, who had the Of his do
mestlc concerns during his absence, in which he
ed the probability of being short OF hay and inquired
how the stock should be supplied. lie requested me
to state to him, that he might feed them from large
scaio!d Of unthreshed aOheat containing, probably,
three or four hundred bushels. Al this ] expressed
some surprise; what, feed cattle upon wheat; how
much do you raise that you it in this way? He
gave mo an answer. | asked him other questions re-
spectng his farming business, and received direct in
formation.
The next day renewed my inquiries, and received
the following statement; and reading the notice in
your paper last week, was induced to examine my
old miscellaneous scraps, to find it, to add the sto-
ry, and now have before the original paper, writ
ten in the winter of 1920, the facts of which were
taken from the mouth of Judge Mech, and penned
in his at the time.
His improved land, including pasture, some wood
but wild, was 1856 acres He made annually
from 700 to 1000 barrels of cider lie kept 500
head of grown neat stock; 20 horses $50 fat hogs
a time; killed 80 the preceding fall, which averaged
$50 pounds each; 200 store hogs $50 sheep; $50
head Of beef cattle killed the preceding fall. or 500
barrels OF beef Ho had another class o. 90 head, of
of stall fed CATTLE toSl or sell in the month orMurch
at Montreal or Quebec Te put up $50 barrels of
pork the previous fall and had contract with the
North West Company, to furnish them annually for a
term of years, $4,000 worth of beef, pork, lard tai
low and corn. lie raised annually 1000 bushels Of
corn; 1000 bushels ofpeas; 1900 bushels o: wheat;
1900 bushels Of oats-usualy sows so His
crops Of potatoes vary from H. 600 20 900 and "a,
900 bushels, year; plants so acres. He puts them
in cellar, under the whole Of barn 90 feet long,
of suitable width, and floor, its full length, with trap
doors at proper distance apart, empty cart d.
rectly into the cellar. He $50 tons of hay, and
made so tons of potash in year. His family con-
sisted of forty persons; he employed 20 hired hands
regularly, and occupied 10 dwelling houses He had
26 barns, averaging than 40 feet, of convenient
width; 500 feet of COW houses beside those in the
barns 26o feet long, all between 80 and 40 feet
in width. lie had 900 of personal property, be-
sides $40 in specie hand at one time He
made purchase of lumber, the same year. to the a.
mount 100000, in the sale Of which he lost $l2,-
0OO
The net income of his farming establishment was
annually $4,000; and at the lowest calculation was
worth 500 ,000
The writer, aferobsetving to Gov. James Barbour,
then member Of the Senate Of the United States,
"you have dimnutive idea Of the Yankees; see,
here is statement of the farming business of one of
the 'Green Mountain Boys" Mr. Barbour observ-
ed that it exceeded any thing Of the kind, in cItent
he ever saw; but he had known farms, or rather
plantations, whose net produce exceeded it,
After making the foregoing schedule, I asked
Judge Mech ho,c he had accumulated such an i'm
mense property. This induced him to give n
concise history of his life, from boyhood TO that time.
lie said when boy he was poor and rather wild;
but was inclined 10 try his fortune, in hunting and
trapping. For this purpose he joined company of
Indians; and finally became skilful and fortunate in
taking FUR. He lived as they did, and Jared as they
fared
Aner continuing with the Indians and hunting some
time think years, he took the fruit of his enterprise,
and returned home This he converted to cash, and
walked offto New York and laid ii out in West India
goods, and purchased equal amount OF English
goods, upon credit, and took them home He then
repaired an old shed which he converted into stores
set up his goods and commenced trading. lie sold
out his stock during the winter took considerable pay
in ashes, made them into potash, took it, with what
cash he had to New York, and purchased goods, as
he had previously done. This was the beginning of
his business country trader He enlarged his pot
ash establishment; increased his purchase of goods;
maintained an unimpeached credit, and by industry,
economy and perseverance, in various kinds of bust
ness accumulated the great wealth he now possesses
once saw on the Judges table an elegant, rich
looking gold watch, and asked him where he obtain
ed it. and what it cost him. He said he, and four or
FIVE other gentlemen in Quebec, agreed to send TO
London and buy each ofthem first rate gold watch;
they did; that is the one took, and paid sixty gum
cas-.
This is but an eptome Of the statement made TO
me- Judge Mech is really self made man; when
a boy, in very humble life' gentleman, acquaint-
ed with him when young told the writer of this
sketch, ssthat he seriously doubted whether he ever
wore hat till he was twelve fifteen years ofage''
But he has been, and now is, highly respected in his
native State. He has been member OF Congress,
candidate for Governor judge of one of their Judic
;aI Cou,ts, trustee of Vermont University. beside
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