1 REPORT ON THE APPLICATION OF SEWAGE. 



buted. The Sewage which is not applied to my farm, is carried 

 by means of similar iron pipes over about 250 acres, belonging 

 to a neighbouring proprietor, who is in fact the lessee of the 

 whole Sewage of the town, and supplies me under agreement. 

 It is not unimportant to notice that the control of the works is 

 thus out of my power, and also that my neighbour's land is 

 situated at a lower level than mine. 



There are some half dozen points to which the attention of 

 any agriculturist proposing to utilise Town Sewage, should be 

 directed. These I will notice generally in the first place, and 

 then particularly as they have affected the application of the 

 Sewage on my own farm, — 



1st. The Situation of the Farm. 

 2nd. The Climate. 

 3rd. The Mature of the Soil. 

 4th. The Quality of the Sewage. 

 5th. The Quantity to be Obtained. 

 6th. The Cost to the Farmer. 



First, we have the Situation or locality of the Farm. Putting- 

 aside for the present all question of engineering details, let us 

 suppose the Sewage to have arrived at a level sufficiently elevated 

 to permit the liquid to flow freely over the land where it is to 

 be used. The question at once arises, to what description of 

 crop can it be applied with the greatest benefit ? And here 

 situation becomes of great importance. If the farm be in close 

 proximity to a large town where there is a ready market for 

 dairy produce, there can be no doubt that the Sewage should be 

 applied to the fertilising of the grass land, so that the largest 

 possible quantities or crop of herbage may be produced, whether 

 the grass be cut green and carried to the cows, or they be allowed 

 to pick up their own food by the ordinary process of grazing. 

 If the farm be situated near such a town as Edinburgh, where 

 there is always a ready sale for forage cut green, the farmer will 

 of course prefer to make his profit in that way, as being attended 

 with small expense, and little or no risk. But in fact, there are 

 few towns, if any, like Edinburgh, in this respect, and such sale 

 cannot be safely calculated on. The next best plan is for the 

 Sewage Farmer to keep cows himself, and in this case, situation 

 is of much consequence. If the farm buildings are within half a 

 mile of a large tow r n, the sale of new milk will produce the 

 largest amount of profit with the great advantage of being pretty 

 much a ready-money business. 



The second point to consider is the Climate or Atmospheric 

 conditions under which the Sewage is to be applied. Now, it is 

 obvious that the effects of the application of liquid manure must 



