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TJic Country Gentleman's Magazine 



ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEWAGE FARM. 



THE Welsh, equally with tlic Aberdonians, 

 have been successful in their applica- 

 tion of sewage to forming purposes. The 

 Merthyr sewage farm has frequently been 

 instanced as an example of the systems of in- 

 termittent downwaril t'lltration and irrigation, 

 and the Royal Agricultural Society did not 

 lose an opportunity, which was offered them 

 last week, of visiting the farm. On Thursday 

 the Council of the Society were conveyed to 

 the scene of operations by special train on 

 the Taft-Vale line, running through a charm- 

 ingly picturesque country, though its rusticity 

 and solitude are marred and broken by blast 

 furnaces, coke ovens, tin works, and the 

 high-reaching chinniey-stacks which ventilate 

 the collieries.- The district is one of the 

 most populous in South Wales. The morn- 

 ing was exceedingly favourable for visiting the 

 district, but as the day wore on the heat be- 

 came almost unbearable. The sewage lands, 

 belonging to the Local Board of Health of 

 Merthyr Tydfil, have been one of the most 

 successful speculations undertaken in the 

 country for the utilization of sewage. The 

 Board was driven to fmd out some means for 

 the disposal of the town sewage, the popu- 

 lation being not less than 50,000. The 

 Board was having constant fights with other 

 local authorities lor polluting the already pol- 

 luted river TatT. Ultimately the Board was 

 placed in Chancery, and the town was then 

 put under the protessional care of I\Ir Bailey 

 l^enton, who, after due consideration, recom- 

 mended that the new remedy suggested by 

 Dr Edward Frankland should be tried at 

 ]\terthyr. The now remedy has been success- 

 ful. The cost has, it is true, been great, buj 

 the cure is said to be perfect. From the day 

 when the filtering was first used in February 

 of last year to the present time, the sewage of 

 Merthyr has been cleansed by the 20 acres 

 laid out for filtration at Froedyrhiw. This 

 acreage was divided into four plots. Upon 

 each of these plots a-fourth part of each day's 

 sewage has been distributed evenly, after 



being properly strained. The whole of 

 the land thus divided has been drained 

 nearly 7 feet deep, and in such a 

 way that no sewage can descend directly to 

 the drains from the surface. Mr Denton 

 obtained, on the loth of March last year, 

 authority from the Eocal Board to prepare 

 the surlace of the filtering areas for the growth 

 of crops, and to plant such vegetables as he 

 considered were suitable under the circum- 

 stances. Accordingly, on the 14th June 

 following, the land being ridged up for the 

 purpose, the planting of cabbages and sowing 

 of mangolds commenced. On the 30th 

 August, seventy-seven days after the com- 

 mencement of planting, part of the crop 

 was offered for sale by auction, and realized 

 ;£i'], 15s. an acre, while some portions with- 

 drawn from the sale realized afterwards ^20 

 an acre. During tliis period of seventy-seven 

 days, the sewage of the district was poured 

 on to the filtering areas, thus affording con- 

 clusive proof of the capability of producing 

 vegetables during the filtration of the maxi- 

 mum amount of sewage through the soil upoii 

 which they grow. Since the crops thus 

 raised and sold have been cleared from the 

 grounil and sold, fresh ones have taken their 

 place, and were to-day inspected. Some 

 portions of this year's crops have been 

 already sold at ;^22, 13s. 4d., ^27, and £^2, 

 13s. 4d. an acre respectively, yielding an 

 average of ;!^27, 9s. per acre. 



Mr Bailey Denton was pre.ent, and de- 

 livered an address, in which he dealt with 

 the two modes of dealing with sewage on 

 land, as illustrated upon the Merthyr sewage 

 farm ; the one being intermittent downward 

 filtration, in which the most is made of a 

 comparatively few acres of land to purify 

 sewage ; and the other wide irrigation, in 

 which the most is made of the sewage to 

 fertilize many acres of land. Sir Watkin 

 Williams ^\'ynn, M.P., as the President of 

 the Royal Agricultural Society, proposed a 

 vote of thanks to Mr Denton for his address. 



