CLARIFIED AND UNCLARIFIED SEWAGE. 513 



than the use of unclarified sewage without labour, but not 

 equal to its use with frequent hoeings. At present I have 

 two large cesspools into which the sewage is diverted 

 and allowed to settle, becoming almost clear by subsidence, 

 in which state it is freely used and found most valuable.* 

 In conclusion, I would say that I am of opinion that the 

 sludge in sewage is valuable as a manure. But I object to 

 its application to the surface of the soil in a semi-liquid 

 state. If so applied the surface of the soil should be 

 constantly stirred and broken, which, of course, involves 

 considerable expense. It then becomes a question whether 

 it is not more economical to separate the sludge, employing 

 it as a solid manure, or for other purposes, leaving a clari- 

 fied liquid behind for irrigation. 



WHO IS EIGHT ? 



[From " The Florist? July and Aug. 1874, PP> 155, I77-] 



I HAVE often found a difficulty in the differences of 

 opinion expressed by competent judges as to the 

 merits of certain plants and flowers, and in no case is this 

 more remarkable than among Zonal Pelargoniums. As a 

 practical cultivator I can make due allowance for circum- 

 stances, soil, and climate, but these put together hardly 

 amount to a solution of the difficulty. I think the 

 anomalies must arise from the want of a clearly defined 

 and acknowledged standard to judge by. In the case of 

 Perlargoniums, for example, one grower or class of growers 

 will be influenced principally by the flower, another by the 

 truss, a third will be swayed by the habit of the plant, and 

 a fourth will weigh all these points in combination, giving 

 to each his estimate of their respective value, and pro- 



* From experiments, not completed when this paper was read, I found 

 a marked difference in Geraniums watered with unclarified sewage and with 

 sewage clarified by lime, in every case in favour of the latter. 

 2G 



