150 



THE FARMER'S MAGAZINE. 



are all alike open to practical objections. Dosing the 

 river with common salt was proposed by one gentleman, 

 and Messrs. Deally and Richards have devised a plan for 

 discharging chlorine gas from a river steamer, whilst passing 

 up and down, in a manner certainly " never before in- 

 vented ;" but if we smile at the novelty of the idea, we are 

 very far from saying that such a method is either imprac- 

 ticable or absurd. It is perhaps a pity that the method of 

 deodorizing by galvanic agency, suggested by Mr. Allen, and 

 so strongly urged years ago by Mr. Crope, did not receive 

 a practical trial by Dr. Hoffman ; but we feel quite sure 

 that, in disregarding it, he has been actuated by no feel- 

 ings of prejudice, although the nature of their report does 

 not evince any decided reason against its use. 



The same remark applies to the alkaline solution of 

 carbonic acid, which is in use at Carlisle, but which Messrs. 

 Hoffman and Frankland passed over, with many others, 

 as " not possessing that combination of properties which 

 could warrant them in recommending it to the Metropoli" 

 tan Board of Works for the deodorization of the human 

 sewage." We are assured by Mr. Bateman, the eminent 

 engineer, and by Mr. Holland, one of the Inspectors of 

 Burial Grounds, that the action of this alkaline solution at 

 Carlisle is most effective, and it appears to be cheap, and 

 we confess that, in the interests of deodorization, we should 

 be glad to know why an agent which is said to succeed at 

 Carlisle is inapplicable at Chelsea. 



Of all the compounds laid before Messrs. Hoffman and 

 Frankland last year, only three appear, in their opinion, 

 competent to do the work of deodorising in an effectual 

 manner. These are lime, chloride of lime, and perchloride 

 of iron, and the quantity of each necessary for deodorizing 

 1,000,000 gals, appears, by accurate expei'iments, to be 

 66 gals, of perchloride of iron against 4.00 lbs. of chloride of 

 lime, and 132^ bushels of lime, the value in figures in- 

 creasing from ^1 13s. 3d. for the perchloride, to £2 2s. 

 lOJd. for the chloride, and ±'3 _.6s. 6d. for the lime itself. 

 As these compounds increase in cost, so they appear to de- 

 crease in action ; for lime is the inferior of the three, both 

 in immediate action and permanency of effect. After two 

 days sewage, affected with lime will evince signs of being 

 tainted, whilst the sewage deodorized by the first two com- 

 pounds will be perfectly odourless. After four daj's the 

 sewage to which chloride of lime has been added will be- 

 gin to be offensive, whilst that treated with the perchloride 

 of iron is till inodorous, and, even after nine days, the 

 condition of the latter is shown to be the same. 



The efficacy of this agent is likewise confirmed by 

 Messrs. Versmann and Rogers, and it is quite refreshing 

 to see men of such great scientific attainments hail the 

 appearance of a new method so cordially, and without a 

 particle of that professional jealousy which sometimes 

 afflicts men who are judges on the inventions of others. 

 Messrs. Hoffman and Frankland, after witnessing the 

 effect of the perchloride of iron, express the opinion 

 "that the disinfection of vast volumes of sewage can be 

 more easily accomplished than is generally believed, or 

 than they themselves anticipated at the commencement of 

 their inquiij ;" and Messrs. Versmann and Rogers, in a 

 similar tone, expressed their surprise, and add that they 

 were not prepared to witness so complete a success, this 

 latter remark having reference to some trials of Mr. Dall's 

 fluid on Croydon sewage. All this is very encouraging, 

 and shows what a vast stride has been made since Messrs. 

 Hoffmann and Witt concluded their Report to the Metro- 

 politan Board of Works ia 18Sr. That Report, to wlu«h 



we have frequently had occasion to refer in these remarks, 

 albeit it was full of the most accurate analyses, and 

 showed us most clearly what coold not be done, left us 

 without any definite proposal for even the deodorization of 

 sewage, and, in this respect, the gap has been well fiUed 

 up by the more recent experiments to which we have re- 

 ferred. We shall defer to another number our examination 

 of the objections which have been raised to the perchlo- 

 ride of iron on sanitary grounds, and we shall conclude 

 this article by remarking that its use, if ever so effectual, 

 has still left unsolved the problem of how we shall best 

 dispose of the deposit which may be separated by filtration 

 or subsidence, and the rapid removal of which from the 

 reservoirs is of the utmost importance. It was not long 

 ago that the inhabitants of Paddington were frightened at 

 the prospect of the removal of the triQing deposit that 

 might be formed in the proposed filter beds at the head of 

 the Serpentine. What wiU the ratepayers of Chelsea say 

 when the suspended matter, in a daily discharge of nearly 

 1,000,000 gallons, has to be disposed of after the liquid 

 deodorized portion has been discharged into the Thames? 

 — The Engineer. 



TITHE 



COMMUTATION. — SEPTENNIAL 

 AVERAGES. 



Sir, — As many of your readers may feel anxious to know 

 the result of the Corn Averages for the seven years to 

 Christmas, 1860, 'published by authority in the London 

 Gazette of this evening, viz. : — 



Per imp. bush. 



Wheat 7s. 4^d. 



Barley 4s. T^d. 



Oats 



3s. 2d. 



I beg to state for their information that each ilOO of tithe 

 rent-charge will for the year 1861 amount to ^£112 3s. 4|d. 

 which is a little more than 1| per cent, above the last year's 

 value, which was itself the highest of the 24 preceding 

 years. The value for 1855 was only ^£89 15s. 8|d., or 22J 

 per cent, below the value for the current j'ear. 



The following statement from my Annual Tithe Commuta- 

 tion Tables will show the worth of ^100 of tithe rent-charge 

 for each j'car since the passing of the Tithe Commutation 

 Act, viz. : — 



;e2,510 3 1| 



General average 

 for 25 years ^100 



4 n 



I am, Sir, your obedient servant, 



Charles M. Willich, 

 Actuary, University Life Assurance Society. 

 25, Suffolk-street, Pall-maU-mt, S, W.,Ja7i. 11. 



