144 REPORT — 1872. 



Section Y. — Seiucir/e-Fanns. 



(I. E.VELSAVOOD SkAVAGE-FaEM. 



It will be remembered that the Committee investigated the utilization of 

 the selvage of Rcdhill, Surrey, at Earlswood Common, and reported the result 

 at the last Meeting of the British Association at Edinburgh. In this Eeport 

 the extent and mode of laying out the land and applying the sewage were 

 described, and analyses were given of samples of the sewage and eflBuent 

 water taken by the Committee. The results of these analyses showed that 

 the sewage, although very weak, was but very imperfectly purified by the 

 process ; and that this was so, was attributed by the Committee chiefly to 

 the absence of underdrainage in the irrigated land, the analyses and various 

 observations as to the temperatures of the samples pointing to the conclusion 

 that the land had become saturated, and that the sewage simply flowed over 

 it instead of percolating through it. 



The Committee has again examined this farm, considering it desirable to 

 ascertain and report any change of circumstances connected with it. No 

 sampling of the sewage or effluent water was made on this occasion, as it 

 was found that the farm remained very much in the same condition as when 

 last visited. 



The outfall ditch, which receives the effluent sewage from the lowest beds, 

 has been lowered 2 feet, so as to admit of subsoil-drainage over the whole 

 farm ; but none has been executed, although the idea was at one time enter- 

 tained. 



The sewage is still passed through " Latham's patent extractor ;" but the 

 result is only to disengage a veiy small amount of solid matter, and it re- 

 quires the attendance of one man daily. 



The land has been taken as a sewage-farm for the sewage of lleigate as 

 well as that of Redhill ; but the sewage from the former place is not j'ct 

 conveyed to the farm, the sewer, which was in course of construction last 

 year, being still incomplete. 



The flow of sewage and effluent water was found to be aboiit equal in 

 quantity, viz. 250 gallons per minute. Looking at the results of the pre- 

 sent system, with the sewage of lledhill only, the effect of adding that from 

 lleigate cannot be expected to be satisfactory, unless improvements arc made 

 in the mode of laying out the land, and unless it is properly underdrained. 



The croi)s on the farm consist principally of rye-grass and oats, with a 

 few mangolds. The rye-grass, of which three crops have been cut this year, 

 is for the most part made into hay, there not being sufficient demand for it in 

 the green state. It should be stated that on the occasion of this inspection 

 the efiiuent water was running apparently clear and free from smeU. 



I. TrxBEiDGE "Wells Sewage-Farms. 



The Committee also deemed it desirable to inquire what had been done at 

 these farms since the investigation last year. 



It will be remembered that the sewage of Tunbridge Wells, which is tole- 

 rably concentrated, is conveyed by gravitation to two farms, one situated on 

 the north, and the other on the south of the town. The farms were not 

 unifoi-miy underdrained, but some previously existing drainage was employed 

 under a peculiar system to redistribute the eflluent sewage -water. The dis- 

 tribution was effected by the catchwater system, the sewage-sludge being 

 previously allowed, to subside in tanks constructed for the purpose. 



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