1868. | Agriculture. 57 
agriculture is in direct proportion to the quantity of live stock main- 
tained upon a given area of land. Guided by,the application of such 
a test as this, the relative standing of English and French agriculture 
may be read with greater accuracy in the agricultural exhibition of 
them out of doors, than in the awards of an international jury 
examining the agricultural contents of the Exhibition building and 
its annexes. There are more cattle and sheep seen on the return - 
journey of the English tourist within eight miles of the landing at 
Newhaven than are visible all the way from Paris to Dieppe. 
Among the topics which receive attention in the current number 
of the ‘English Agricultural Society’s Journal,’ is the agricultural 
value of town sewage. It appears that nitrogen equal to 200 ozs. of 
ammonia passes annually from every average individual of a general 
population, and this being mixed with the usual annual water-supply 
to our towns of 40, 60, or 80 tons per head, gives only 93, 64, or 
4? grains to every gallon of the resultant sewage. If the average 
be taken at 7 grains to every gallon, which is equal to one in every 
10,000 parts of the drainage water, then that is worth about as 
much as half-a-ton of Peruvian guano for every 1,000 tons, or 
between 14d. and 13d. per ton. Nothing like this valuation has, 
however, ever yet been realized in agricultural experience. The 
large quantity of water with which the guano in sewage is diluted, 
spoils its fitness for our more valuable crops. It has hitherto 
indeed been applied almost exclusively to grass, which is not worth 
more than 6s. or 8s. a ton in country districts; rising, however, to 
15s. or even 20s. a ton near towns, where it can be used in cow 
feeding. The calculation from experience near Edinburgh and at 
Rugby does not result in one-half the estimated return indicated by 
the chemistry of the subject. During the past year, however, on 
Lodge Farm, near Barking, a better result has been obtained from its 
use In growing Italian rye-grass on thin and gravelly soil. From 
300,000 tons of North London sewage passed over 55 acres of 
Italian rye-grass, 2,400 tons of grass have been obtained. And as 
much of this land had been sown down only this spring, and a good 
deal of what was sown last year had been much injured by last 
January's frosts, all of it ought not in fairness to be taken into the 
account. Off 134 acres, the extent which was in good bearing order, 
800 tons of grass was cut between April and November this year; 
and, as a good deal of the sewage had been wasted (in the carriers 
cut through gravel) before it could reach the plant, it is believed 
that one ton of grass has been produced over and above the natural 
and unassisted growth of the land for every 100 tons of sewage . 
that was applied. If further experience shall justify this conclusion, 
then we shall at length have realized in agriculture something like 
the chemist’s valuation of this manure; and a profit will be avail-' 
able for towns from ther drainage waters, which recent legislation 
“ 
