MECHI AND HTGH FARMING.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1038, 18 February 1879, Page 2

MECHI AND HTGH FARMING.

The following from a late paper will serve as an introduction to a short artiole on Mechi : — A few days since a party of gentlemen visited Mr Mechi's farm at Tiptree Hall, The crops were found m excellent condition. Mr Mechi states that when he purchased Tiptroe Hall farm 35 years ago, he was regarded as a revolutionist, he cut down all the trees, removed the cumbrous and weed producing fences and m their place puc iron hurdles on wheels, applied manure lavishly, tnd made good roads. Asa result, the land has risen m value fiom £25 when he bought, to £50 an ncre. In regard to Mechi as an agriculturist, I need hardly remark that he has professed to be a scientific farmer ; he has goue m for what is known as " high farming." The ' American Agriculturist,' m a recent issue biiefly describes what this expression signifies. It says :— < " Hig i fanny is simply making the most of our resources. It is simply putting our work where it will do the most good and suffering no waste to exist. It requires skill more than money, and good management rather than costly tools, fine stock, and showy building*. It is not altogether m burying miles of tiles m the ground, but m bringing our fields into such such astute of cultivation, according io our means, as will produce crops with the greatest profit. Tbe farmer who gains the nivst from the least outlay is a high farmer." The principal essentials m firming, according to Mecci's ti aching, are draining, keep cultivation, thin sowing, covered stockyards with paved floor, land irrigated with sewage, the absence of hedgerow timber, the use-" of steam, straw as food for stock. He has for years been talking and writing on these and kindred topics ; and what he has to say, beiug the result of observation and experiment, ought to have some amount of weight, and is worthy of consideration. FARMING CAPITAL. It must be observed that a strong point with Mechi is farming capital, after he had acquired Tiptree farm, he oame to the conclusion that certain changes and improvemonts were absolutely required, if his farm was to be a success j but as these could only be effected by an increased capital, and an increased rent, he and his tenant (hi nself) held a conconference, aud came to an arrangement that the landloard should expend an ex*ra fee-simple amount on improvement, and that the tenant should pay a double rent ; and also that the tenant should invest £16 or £17 per acre as tenant's capital, m lieu of the £7 or £8 formerly employed. Of this, £6 an acre was invested m sheep and cattle, besides farm horses, '• Here is a specimen of Mechi's teaching on the subject of capital : — " The system I commend and practice i 3 one demanding a muoh greater concentration of capital than is our present practice. The tenent'3 capital m this farm is at present £16 per acre, and this is by no means sufficient for the attainment of the most profitablo result. From £20 to £25 per acre would pay a larger per centage of profit, because then more stock could be kept, and more food consumed. Our notions about farm capital must soon undergo a great change and reform. £20 on one acre will pay much better than £20 on two acres, or £20 on four aores, the latter being too often the oase." Now, it tliis subject of farm oapital be applied to the system of agriculture as carried on m this oouutry, I uin afra\d that many dejecta &a<i

shortcomings might be exposed. It appears to be a main object of some settlers to acquire large holdings — to expenl most of their capital on laud. Thus, what is called the "pride of proprietorship" greatly interferes with and impedes agricultural progress and success. In order to secure a fine estate of land a person invests m perhaps four or five hundred acres, when m reality he has not sufficient capital to properly farm two hundred. With a limited capital, farming too often becomes a struggle and a disappointment ; suoh farming may be pronounced as something eminently unsatisfactory. In fact, it would be an advantage to many a farmer m this country if he sold out a portion of his estate, and devoted the proceeds to the proper cultivation of what he had left.

DRAINING. In draining, Mechi bad great faith, though sometimes he made very serious mistakes. For instance, aftar being drained, he had a portion of pis farm worked so deep as to spoil the land for cropping for several years. The cold clay was brought to the surface, but would not SQStain vegetation. It took a good while to make it productive. After a lengthened experience of twenty-two years in the matter of draining, Mechi writes as follows : — "In 1842, I drained most of my land. On the stiff clay side (plastic yellow clay, like bird-lime in winter, and cast-iron in samraer -too strong to make bricks, free from lime, but abundantly supplied with iron dust), I drained 32 inches deep, and 12 feet between the drains— the lower part of the drain filled with small stones to the depth of 10 inches, and over the stones a 2-inch pipe, preventing any surface soil failing in amongst the stones. After he had finished, an able paper on draining fell into his hands, and he thought he had committed a folly. But he found that year by year, after watching every field and drain, the closelydrained land, with tiles and stones, were always forwarder and more quickly dried than the wider and more deeply drained — that it harrowed more freely, and required less harrowing than the other, and that every drain worked perfectly after a lapse of twenty years. Mechi's laborers used tosay to him, "Ah, sir, there is nothing like your first draiuSa See how regularly tho corn dies or ripens in color, even in the furrows ; and see how well it works after winter." Having the capital, Mechi went to a great expense in draining, and it no doubt ultimately paid him. A a a, cheap, quick and effective method of getting rid of surplus water, he recommends the use of the plain or mole plough, which in England is worsed by steam. Made 3 feet deep, and 16^ feet intervals, four orseven acres cau be done in a day. Of course no pipes are used, but a tunnel is formed by the mole forcing its way, and compressing tightly the earth or walls On cUy land, this method of draining is both sure and expeditious, and might be adopted in Now Zealand. The work must of necessity be done in winter, when the ground is wet, and it could not be done on stoney or stumpy land. In carrying out a proper system of farming, a judicious attention to drainage is of great consequence. If pipes are used it is no doubt a very expensive work, and will soon drain the pocket. But rubble as well as other material can be utilised for the purpose. DEEP ULLAGE. Mechi was also a strong advocate for deep tillage after the land had ,been drained. He found that by breaking up soil to the depth of 2.a.*to 24 inches, instead of the cornmod depth of A or 5, that all crops succeeded better, particularly roots, green crops, and clover. Their roots descended deeper, and were consequently Jess subject to injury by the vicissitudes ot extreme drought or cold. He said if a farmer was seen ploughing his ground 5 or 6 inches deep, he would likely be found digging his garden 15 to 20 inches ; and if asked the reason why, he would say, " I can grow better crops in my garden by deep cultivation." He considered deep tillage an essential of good and profitable farming. The method he employed was to remove the breast from a plough, and drawn by two horses, let it follow the track of the first plough. He j thus gained. a much greater depth. In one place he writes thus : — " In summer I used a very large plough with four horses, to open the work, and follow with another plough and four horses, in the same track." He drew the conclusion from oftrepeated observations, that very deep cultivation permits an enormous evaporation, even during winter, for the streaming vapour may be seen as it rises from the fallowed ground. He remarks — " I apprehend then, that it is wise to deeply ridge up our heavy land before winter, to promote evaporation ; and that in the spring we should keep the surface fine to retain the moisture."