30G 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



MR. POPPY OF WITNESHAM. 



Respected Friend, — Herewith I send thee an extract 

 from the Suffolk Chronicle, givingabrief outline of the life and 

 labours of our valued old friend and father of farmers' clubs, 

 Charles Poppy — thinking it probable it would be interesting 

 to the readers of the Mark Lane Eipress, some few of whom, 

 who were readers of the agricultural periodicals sixty years 

 since, will probably recollect his early efforts to promote 

 the practical interests of agriculture. To him we owe in 

 this district the earliest introduction of swede turnips, as of 

 a crop of mangel wurzel, and of Belgian white carrots ; the 

 most successful prevention of the ravages of the turnip fly ; 

 the invention of the scarifier, which was the original type 

 of those now in use ; and the introduction of the system of 

 farmers' clubs. Well do I recollect visiting, in company 

 ■with my highly-esteemed friend, John Morton, one of the 

 monthly meetings of the primitive club, held in the long 

 low-room of the village inn at Ashbocking, when, seated as 

 president at the end c"f a long table, covered with gigantic 

 roots, interspersed with glasses of steaming mixture, and 

 pipes with well-waxed ends, he gave us, in his own ge- 

 nial and unobtrusive manner, interesting anecdotes of his 

 successes and his failures, of his temporarj' discouragements 

 and his ultimate rejoicing in the triumph of successful at- 

 tainment. At a shortly subsequent period, two or three of 

 those warmly interested in agriculture in the neighbourhood 

 of Ynxford visited the Ashbocking Club, and the rapid 

 establishment of similar clubs in Yoxford, Halesworth, 

 Becclcs, Wrentham, Harleston, Framlingham, and Wick- 

 ham Market, was the result. Through the kindness of the 

 editors of the Mark Lane Express the reports of the pro- 

 ceedings of these various little societies were published, and 

 the practical usefulness of their discussions thus obtaining 

 wide circulation, institutions of a similar character were 

 speedily formed throughout the length and breadth of the 

 land. 



About this time, the late William Shaw with two or three 

 of his friends, conceived the idea of centralizing these by 

 the establishment of a club in London, and hence the com- 

 mencement of the Central Farmers' Club. 



Surely amongst the thousands who have through so long 

 a period benefited by the disinterested labours and 

 researches in which he has spent his long and useful life, 

 there must be many who will rejoice in the opportunity to 

 contribute to the promotion of his comforts and that of his 

 a»ed partner for the few remaining years that may yet be 

 allotted to him, now that the day of his working for others 

 —at the age of 05 — is well nigh passed. 



His old friend and co-worker for nearly 50 years, Arthur 

 Biddell, of Playf rd, has organized the plan of obtaining 

 sufficient funds for the purchase of an annuity on the joint 

 lives of the worthy pair; and if thou couldst suggest that 

 subscriptions should be received at the office of the Central 

 Farmers' Club, there is little doubt the object would be 

 speedily accomplished. 



With kind regards and pleasant memories of other days, 

 I remain, my dear friend, sincerely thine, 



Ipswich, 2nd Month 22. J. Alle.\ Ransome. 



SUFFOLK WORTHIES AND PERSONS OF 

 NOTE IN EAST ANGLIA. 



CHARLES POPPY, THE AGRICULTURIST. 



Among the many men in Suffolk who have achieved a 

 name and reputation by the practice of agriculture, few 

 could be mentioned who have so deservedly won a claim for 

 distinction among Suffolk farmers as Charles Poppy, of 

 VVituesham. This venerable agriculturist, the correspon- 

 dent and contemporary of Arthur Young, Sir John 

 Sinclair, George Webb Hall, and others-a man whose 

 numerous experiments and lengthened experience on the 

 crops and soils of this district render him pre-eminent 



among the occupiers of land in Suffolk— is justly entitled to 

 a niche in the temple of agricultural fame. 



Charles Poppy was born in the parish of Withersfield, 

 in the year 1773. At eight years of age he was sent to be 

 educated at Tilney School, Harle<-ton, Norfolk, where he 

 remained seven years, Thomas Pallant,|the meteorologist, 

 was a schoolfellow of his. When he left school he was 

 placed with Mr, Candler, of Linstead, near Halesworth, 

 fm- instruction in farming. There he profited but little, 

 for his master was not a strict one, and, as many of 

 Charles's schoolfellows lived in the neighbourhood, he had 

 the run of many farms ; and this suited a mettled lad of his 

 age better than work. It was a dairy farm, and he re- 

 mained there two or three j'ears. Candler was a regular 

 old-fashioned farmer, but hearing that a new-fangled 

 system of draining had been tried on a farm at Cookley, he 

 took his agricultural pupil with him to look at it out of 

 curiosity, and here it was that our future experimentalist 

 saw, for the first time, an arable field of six or eight acres 

 subjected to the system oithorough drainage. 



From Mr. Candler's he went to " Frendze Hall Farm," 

 Scole, Norfolk, an arable and grazing farm of upv.fards of 

 four hundred acres. There he remained four years, and 

 there he learnt to work. There it was that he made the 

 acquaintance of Mr. Kent, who was steward to George the 

 Third, which led to an interchange of correspondence upon 

 agricultural subjects. There it was that he first saw Swede 

 turnips grown. Thomas Avi.', Esq., steward to the Duke 

 of Norfolk, occupied the farm adjoining " Frendze Hall," 

 and he was at that time trying to grow swedes, the root 

 being then unknown in the East Anglian district. Mr. 

 Avis raised them in his garden and then planted them out, 

 and he continued this practice for several years. 



As the fourth year drew to a close our young farmer 

 began to feel himself able to practise the art of an;riculture, 

 and he therefore engaged himself as assistant to Mr. Wythe, 

 a land valuer and agent at Eye, who occupied the " Park 

 Farm," and two others in the immediate neighbourhood. 

 Having procured some seed from his old neighbour in Nor- 

 folk, Mr. Avis, he proceeded to try the experiment of grow- 

 ing swedes. There was a bailiff at the farm, but such 

 scane and valuable seed he could not trust in other hands 

 than his own, and he therefore sowed it himself. This was 

 the first known instance of Swede turnips being sown for a 

 crop in Suffolk. The seed, however, was put in too late, 

 and the crop proved very poor, too small to feed cattle, lest 

 they should choke themselves ; in fact, they were like 

 Bloomfield's description of the rinds of Suffolk cheese : 



" Too big to swallow, and too hard to bite." 



After remaining four years with Mr. Wythe, he resolved 

 upon farming on his own account. He took a farm at Oc- 

 cold ; but at the end of three years the owner wanted it, 

 and Mr. Poppy had to quit He then entered into the seed 

 business, and travelled over Suffolk, Norfolk, and part of 

 Cambridgeshire. Being a keen observer, his travelling 

 gave him a good opportunity of making himself acquainted 

 with the soil, culture, and vegetable productions of the 

 districts he visited, and this he did not lose sight of. The 

 line of life, however, did not please him, and before the end 

 of twelvemonths he was again engaged by jMr. Wythe to 

 undertake the sole management of his farms, that gentle- 

 man having removed to West Norfolk. 



Mr. Poppj% desirous of being on his own footing, next 

 took a farm at Wetherden. Here a new phase of life 

 opened to him. He married Frances, the youngest 

 daughter of the Rev. John Gibbs, rector of Occold, and 

 vicar of Yaxley, by whom he has had five children ; three 

 of them are now living in the United States, one, a 

 daughter, is living at West Ham, and one is deceased. 

 When he began married life he thought he was comfortably 

 settled : prices were good ; his farm of 160 acres was, to all 

 appearance, one of average quality; his house was sub- 



