ox THE TREATMENT AND UTILIZATION OF SErtMGE. 413 



Fifth Report of the Committee on the Treatment and Utilization of 

 Sewage, consisting 0/ Richard B. GranthaMj C.E.,F.G.S. (Chair- 

 man),]^. J. Bramwell, C.E., F.R.S., Professor W. H. Corfield, 

 M.A., M.D. (Oxou.), * J. Bailey Dentox, C.E., F.G.S., J. H. 

 Gilbert, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.C.S., W. Hope, V.C, Professor A. W. 

 Williamson, Ph.D., F.R.S., F.C.S., and *Professor J. T. Way. 



N.B. — Those members whose names hare an asterisk prefixed have not attended any 

 meeting of the Comuiitee during the year. 



The Committee, in presentiug its Fifth Report, has to state that it has con- 

 tinued that part of the inquiry for which it was more particularly reap- 

 pointed, viz. the examination of the typical case of sewage-farming at 

 Breton's Farm near Romford; and similar Tables to those furnished last 

 j'car are again supplied, and are described in the portion of this Report 

 referring to this subject. 



Another analysis has also been made of the soil of the farm, showing a con- 

 siderable increase in the amount of nitrogen and of phosphoricacid contained 

 in it. 



A further examination has also been made of the sewage-farm at Earls- 

 wood, with more satisfactory results than on previous occasions ; and Dr. Gilbert 

 has again furnished a note on the dry earth system, which he has made a 

 subject of special investigation. 



Whitthread's process, which was described in 'last year's Report, and of 

 which a short account wiU be found in the subjoined abstract, has been for 

 a few days at work on a considerable scale at Entield. A member of the 

 Committee, who recently inspected what was going on there, states that an 

 excellent opportunity for further investigation will now be afforded. 



It has been considered advisable at this time, when the Committee has 

 (Avithin a few pounds) exhausted its funds, to prepare and present with this 

 Report an abstract of the four previous Reports made by it to the British 

 Association ; this has been done by Professor Corfield on its behalf, and the 

 abstract will be found in another part of this Report. 



Since the Committee's last Report the Local Government Board has pre- 

 sented to Parliament a Retui'n moved for in the House of Commons, dated 

 May 13th, 1873, and entitled a " Return of the names of Boroughs, Local 

 Boards, Parishes, and Special Drainage Districts which have, through loans, 

 provided Sewage-Farms or other means for the Disposal of Sewage by Fil- 

 tration or Precipitation." The various Tables contained in this Return 

 profess to give information, which, so far as it goes, would be vahiable if 

 exact. One radical error in the scheme of the Tables is, that there is no 

 separation of the capital expenditure and working expenses of the year, while 

 in the case of sewage-farms the cost of purchasing land is not separated from 

 that of works. 



Section I. — Additional Note on the Dry Earth System. 



In former Reports the Committee has given the results obtained by 

 Dr. Gilbert on the determination of the nitrogen in the soil which had been 

 tised in a Moule's earth-closet once, twice, and three times. The same soil, 

 after passing through the closet the fourth time, has been again examined, 

 and the results of the series of determinations are given below : — 



