340 



THE GENESEE FAR^rER. 



MiCHI, AND THE CAUSE OF HIS SUCCESS. 



All our readers have liearil of J. J. Mkciii, or, 

 ift he is iii»w called, " Ih. Aldkuman Meciii." He 

 i;5, in many respects, a remarkable man. He made 

 money by selling razors and razor-strops in Lead- 

 eujiall street, London. He -still, we believe, car- 

 ries on the business; bat if tliis were all, lieAvould 

 have remained, like thonsands of successful mer- 

 chants, unknown beyond the narrow circle of his 

 coinniercial and social acquaintances. But he 

 turned fanner, and soon found himself famous. 

 Tills did not annoy him — he rather courted, noto- 



J. J. ivIECHI. 



riety. He endeavored to show that farmers could 

 make more money if they would adopt a better 

 system of agriculture. He contended that Ms 

 farming was highly profitable. Now, it is easy to 

 nnderstand why farmers who live on rented land 

 should not like to have it shown how they could 

 mak« more money and pay. a hkjlier rent. James 

 Cai;;d, a Scotch farmer, obtained celebrity in the 

 same way. He wrote a pamphlet entitled, High 

 Farming cm A»tidote to Free Trade, and got 

 soundly abused for his pains. The late Sir Rokebt 

 Peel, who washed to repeal the duties on foreign 

 ffrain, Uw^ him up. The Livndon Timef> employed 

 him to V\Mt the different counties of England as 

 "The Times' Conmiissioner," and he wrote a series 

 of letters to that paper— some of wbich-were not 

 fliittcring to the farmers. Smne of them were very 

 indignant, the T/m^'s defended its c<irre.<pondent, 

 atid in the end he was elected to Parliaiuent — and 

 all owing to his taking up an unptipul.ir caiNe. So 



with Mechi. He boasted long and loud of his 

 profits as a fanner. Many of his statements were 

 open to criticisin,.and he did not escape. He soon 

 became the but^ of ridicule. Paper bullets flew 

 around his head like hail. The agricultural press 

 joined in the crusade against him. His ideas I 

 were ridiculous, his facts were considered donbtful, 

 and his conchijsions certainly erroneous. Still, 

 MEcm lived and thrived — nothing rufHed his tem- 

 per. He invited his opponents and his friends 

 alike to vis'.t his farm and see for themselves what 

 he was doing. They came. Some criticised, sonte 

 praised ; but all were treated with coartesy. His 

 " Annual Gatherings" soon became what we should 

 call an "institution." Landlord and tenant-, the 

 practical farmer and the man of science, met at 

 Tiptree once a year to examine, to discuss and to 

 criticise his operations. 



The recent English papers are full of accounts 

 of the last " Gathering" at Ti[)tree. A correspon- 

 dent of the Mark Lane Express, while still disposed 

 to criticise, writes on the whole favorably, as fol- 

 h)ws : 



" Any one was free to go where he liked— to 

 make his own observations, and draw bis own con- 

 clusions. Here is the farm, here round about it is 

 the heath, out of which it was snatched some 22 

 years since. One, at the present day, is growing 

 furze, the other is growing immense crops of grass, 

 clover, wheat, beans, oats, mangolds and turnips, 

 and produces annually 200 pounds of meat j)er 

 acre. The one by the investment of nothing is 

 worth nothing; the other, owing to the judicious 

 investment of a large cajiital, is, commevcially 

 speaking, worth 50s. an acre. There are certainly 

 no cereal or root crops in the neighborhood to com- 

 pare with those at Tiptree ; and if some of the sur- 

 rounding farmers ])roduce as much as 20 pounds of 

 meat per acre from their land, it is all they do. 

 And what is the secret of this chance? Efiicieat 

 drainage, deep tillage and liquid manure irriga- 

 tion, 



" r am not disposed to contend that Mr. Miccm's 

 is now, in all respect.s, a model farm. In farr, I do 

 not think he lias a right to invite [)ei)iile to inspect 

 if as such, until he has moved a little more .-diead 

 of the times. For instance, his system of drainage 

 is somewhat antiquated. He is at great expense 

 by horse-culture to secure a deej) staple — and he 

 yet clings to small stefchea as though he lacked 

 faifli in drainage. ooml)ined with tiiJaiie, to lay the 

 land dry. Nnmliers of the fniti-rnity have out^ 

 stripped him in this respect, and the only novelty 

 now to be seen at Tiptree is the system of mnnur- 

 ing. Even the feeding of cattle on hoards has 

 been copi.-d, and while he must give up for a while 

 the cn.ilit of being first, he may rest on the repu- 

 tation gained for havim; led others to the front. 

 There can be no doubt that Mr. Mechi's exertions 

 liave been prodnctiv* of innnense >:ood to this 

 country, and lie may well be proud of the i>art he 

 ha" played as a promoter of agricultural progress. 



