242 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



water I have a theory which I woukl recommend to the members of 

 our Biological Section for further investigation. I think it is con- 

 ceded by all scientists that vegetable life precedes animal life, and 

 also that animal life — fish for instance — cannot live in pure distilled 

 water. 



Then it follows that water capable of supporting animal life must 

 contain nitrogenous sub-marine vegetation to be maintained by 

 the nitrogenous production of plants or animals being conveyed into 

 it from the land. It appeai-s to me that if the sewage of the City 

 of Toronto was allowed to flow well out into the Lake and was well 

 distributed, its noxious elements would be disposed of in the following 

 ways. A large amount of it would become oxidized by the free oxygen 

 of the water and another portion would enter into new compounds, 

 promoting vegetable growth, and whatever might be left would be so 

 utterly weakened by dilution as to be entirely harmless. I believe 

 no more harm to our water would ai'ise from a moderate amount of 

 sewage going into the lake than would be done to vegetables and 

 gi'ains, by the application of manure to tlie soil. The latter is often 

 overdone by our market gardeners, and the residt is an unhealthy 

 production of garden " sass." The former is often overdone, as may 

 be witnessed any day at the foot of Yonge Street. 



In order to secure a better distribution of the sewage at the outlet, 

 I would recommend that openings be made at three or four different 

 places in the pipe, so that each one might be used a year at a time 

 and then rest for two or three years. I believe that by this method 

 in process of time there would become established in the immediate 

 neighborhood one of the best fish feeding grounds in the lake. It is 

 worth looking into. 



The biological analysis of various samples of water made by Prof. 

 Ramsay Wright bears out my contention that no danger to the city 

 water can arise from depositing the sewage in the Lake at a sufiicient 

 distance from the intake. He says, " The following are the results 

 obtained on the 8th and 22nd of June respectively. In most cases 

 the number of bacteria given is an average of two and sometimes 

 three samples taken in different bottles." 



