66 REPORT — 1870. 



This grass being a perennial, it will be interesting to observe for how long 

 it wiU retain its present extraordinary rapidity of growth, and whether, 

 under such forcing treatment as sewage irrigation, it will not cease to be 

 perennial. Bed 6 (0-252 of an acre) was first sown with tobacco ; but for 

 some unascertained reason the seed failed, and it was broken up and resown 

 on July 9th with maize for cutting green. Beds 7 and 8 (0-504 of an 

 acre) were sown with sea-kale on June 10th, and broccoli plants were put in 

 between the rows of sea-kale in. August. Beds 9 and 10 (0-522 of an acre) 

 were planted with East Ham cabbages on June 16th from seed raised in 

 the garden ; these two beds have been sold at the rate of .£25 per acre in 

 the ground. Beds 11 to 16 inclusive (1-566 acre) were planted on June 

 20th with bunching-greens from Plot A ; these have been sold at ^21 per 

 acre in the ground. 



In Plot 0, beds 1 to 11 inclusive (4-12 acres) were sown on April 4th 

 with " intermediate " carrots, part of which have been sold for .£20 and £21 

 per acre in the ground, and part (washed and bunched and sent to market) 

 realized .£41 per acre. Beds 12 to 17 inclusive (2-223 acres) were sown 

 on April the 5th with onions, which were bunched and sent to market, 

 where they realized .£46 per acre. 



Plot P, which is a gravel-pit, not yet wholly obliterated, has been par- 

 tially planted with greens from Plot A, 



Plot Q, has as yet had nothing in it. 



Plot E, an old meadow heavily sewaged last summer, and broken up last 

 winter, was planted with Dalmahoy potatoes on March 25th ; the crop was 

 very fine for the season, and realized £25 per acre. 



Plots S and T are still waste and uncultivated. 



Plot U is an old meadow, which has been irrigated by means of moveable 

 troughs ; it contains 6-14 acres, and has akeady yielded two crops of hay, 

 and a third is now ready to cut. 



Plot V is also an old meadow of 3-5 acres, and is used as a playground 

 for the horses. 



Agricultural experiments necessarily require a very long time to be carried 

 out, and a period of twelve consecutive months is the shortest possible space 

 of time in which any thing Uke a fair result can be looked for. It is not 

 possible, therefore, to compile from the past observations of the Committee, 

 during so short a period, auy thing that would not be very misleading in 

 the shape of a debtor and creditor account, whether as to the pecuniary ex- 

 penditure and returns of the farm, or as to the expenditure of manure dis- 

 tributed by means of the sewage and the returns in the crops estimated 

 chemically. Nevertheless, from the foregoing figures, it will be seen that 

 sewage in its liquid state can be practically applied to apparently every kind 

 of crop. This was no doubt pretty well ascertained by previous experiments 

 elsewhere ; but in no case have these experiments been so systematically and 

 carefuUy observed, and so little liable to be affected by disturbing causes. 

 It is therefore already one step gained towards the solution of the sewage 

 question that these experiments have been conducted under the eyes of the 

 agent of the Committee, as well as under the occasional observation of some 

 of the members of the Committee. 



The Committee hope to obtain data of greater value and importance from 

 the accurate record of the experiments and practice on the farm during a 

 future complete year, and some appliances have recently been, or will 

 shortly be, brought into use on the farm which will very greatly facilitate 

 such observations. The soil of by far the major part of the farm (Plots A, 



