145 



that could make the Roman peasantry prosperous, and 

 when their fields were no longer able to produce the nee. 

 essaries of life for the Roman people, then were the 

 riches of Sicily, Sardinia and the fertile coasts of Africa 

 irretrievably sunk in this cloaca." 



"The value of this material as a fertilizer is obvious, 

 but it has been comparatively estimated, and put beyond 

 controversy by the experiments of the Prussian govern- 

 ment reclaiming lands with sewage of Dresden and Ber- 

 lin. Land which without any application yielded but 

 three for one of seed sown, and seven for one when treated 

 with common barn manure, yielded fourteen for one when 

 fertilized with sewage." Many other equally good or 

 better results from judicious irrigation of farm lands with 

 sewage might be named. 



Many cities in Europe are adopting this system as the 

 only means of disposing of it, that does not endanger the 

 health of the people, and at the same time save the im- 

 mense amount of plant food otherwise lost. The experi- 

 ence of Rome is a lesson that should be heeded by all mod- 

 ern cities, as it effects the future prosperity of the nation. 



Dr. Earnest Hart has recently said: — "Within thirty 

 years Great Britain has expended five hundred million 

 pounds sterling, for adopting a system of sewage irriga- 

 tion of the soil, with the result of making the country 

 practically cholera proof, besides the benefit of utilizing the 

 plant food otherwise wasted. 



It may be asked, what has all this to do with the man- 

 agement of the Danvers Hospital farm? Much; very 

 much. For that institution, in common with other insti- 

 tutions of the state, has been troubled with the vexed 

 question of "What can we do with the sewage'' ? Several 

 attempts have been made. The first, made by the civil en- 

 gineers employed by the Building Commissioners was a 

 complete and expensive failure. 



The second, it was thought by members of this commit- 

 tee, would prove a solution of the whole difficulty, which 



