Sewage — Filtration and Irrigation 



453 



created. When the chemist has discovered 

 some precipitant for the vakiable fertihzing 

 matter, the engineer will doubtless soon ar- 

 range for its collection and treatment. We 

 shall then be in a position to return to the 

 land the greater part of the nitrogenous 

 matter and phosphates received from it in 

 our food, and now, alas, wasted. We shall 

 have no necessity then to scour the world 

 over to discover cheap phosphate deposits. 

 Mr Wiggin remarked that he would shew the 

 gentlemen present the state of the effluent 

 waters from Hastings and Leeds, sent by the 

 Secretary of the A. B. C. Company. After 

 an interesting series of tests, he remarked 

 thc,t the water from these two places was, in 

 reality, but diluted sewage, and, in his opinion, 

 it contained the great majority of salts, valu- 

 able to agriculturists for fertilizing purposes. 

 He thought they would be wrong in invest- 

 ing in the various companies which were 

 started, until some much more improved 

 system had been discovered. Mr Wiggin 

 also referred to the opinion expressed by Mr 

 Bailey Denton in his report to the Ipswich 

 Local Board of Health as to the best means 

 of sewering the town of Ipswich, which opinion 

 carried out that which he (Mr Wiggin) had 

 expressed. Mr Bailey Denton in his report 



said : — " That although such companies 

 might reheve the borough for a time of certain 

 difficulties and trouble in dealing with the 

 sewage, there really is no ground for believing 

 that the solid compost they make will be sold 

 at a profit after the novelty of using it has 

 passed away, failing which, the works would 

 inevitably be thrown on the hands of your 

 Board ; that the manufacture of manure at 

 the sewer's mouth may become a local 

 nuisance ; and the clarified water, after the 

 solid matter is taken from it, contains more 

 fertilizing material than the extracted solid 

 matter, and as this liquid would pass into 

 the river its value would be lost." This 

 statement was supported by the following 

 letter from Mr Bircham, of Chosely, near 

 Lynn : — " Referring to your favour of the 

 loth of November, addressed to me on this 

 subject, I beg to say that after a second trial 

 of this (so-called) manure, under circumstances 

 exceptionably favourable to its success, if it 

 really possessed any fertilizing properties at 

 all, my first impressions are fully confirmed. 

 I find the stuff absolutely worthless, and the 

 crops to which I have applied it now growing 

 on my farm bear ample testimony to this, as 

 any one who chooses is at perfect liberty to 

 see." 



ITALIAN AGRICULTURE. 



WE are glad to learn from a Special 

 Correspondent of the Times, that 

 agricultural progress^is making way in Italy : — 

 All the information I have yet obtained, 

 whether during my journey down or when I 

 wrote to you fi-om the Italian provinces during 

 the early summer, points to improvement in 

 agriculture and increase of prosperity — slow, 

 perhaps, but still decidedly perceptible. 

 This part of the old Roman States produces 

 great ciuantities of gram, chiefly wheat and 

 Gran Turco—fronicntonc it is here called, 

 for the names of things are continually 

 changing as one travels through Italy — which 



in Western Europe is known as maize. "We 

 also grow an immense deal of wine," said a 

 country gentleman of the neighbourhood, 

 " but it is worth nothing." By this he did 

 not mean to depreciate the quality, for it is 

 an agreeable vin ordinaire, and some sorts, 

 when botded and kept for a while, are above 

 the average, but to mark the low price 

 which rendered it an unprofitable crop. It 

 will bear transport by sea, but there is no 

 demand for export, and it is sold for almost 

 nothing. The fact is that there must be a 

 revolution in the mode of Italian wine-pro- 

 duction before it is likely to become known 



