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was by means of conducting the sewage along the brow 

 of the hill by troughs, to be distributed on the surface as 

 needed, the land being previously underdrained ; and it 

 did remarkably well for a time, as many crops that took 

 this society's first premiums proved ; but this land being 

 naturally wet and heavy, soon became clogged by an over- 

 supply and resulted in a nuisance. 



The third attempt was to purchase, adjoining the farm, 

 a five acre lot of barren, sandy land, which absorbed large 

 quantities of the sewage and has brought the field into a 

 state of fertility ; but there is a limit that cannot be ex- 

 ceeded, and this field now cries enough ; for the present at 

 least. Of late, most of it has been conducted through a 

 ten inch drain pipe off the premises and it gradually finds 

 its way into Ipswich river and this will soon be cause for 

 complaint. 



The next plan is an ingenious device adopted by Dr. 

 Page, to turn the sewage into a system of underdrains in 

 the fifteen acre lot, being reclaimed as previously described; 

 for particulars see diagram attached. By this system it will 

 be observed that it is subirrigation, none coming nearer 

 the surface than eighteen inches, as this land is of a some- 

 what sandy or loose nature about four or five feet deep, 

 resting on hardpan, it will absorb an immense amount of 

 sewage ; and as the getting rid of it is the superintendent's 

 main object, he will doubtless succeed in that respect, and 

 unquestionably b}^ capillary attraction it will rise sufii- 

 ciently to prevent any hoed crops or grass from suffering 

 from drought, and supply a portion of plant food, but 

 probably much the larger part will be lost. 



Subirrigation is practised in California, in fruitgrowing, 

 with good success, especially in Fresno county where grape- 

 culture for raisins is extensively and successfully con- 

 ducted. 



In the manifest zeal to get rid of the Hospital sewage, 

 it is hoped that the former forty or fifty acres that were 



