414 



REPORT — 1873. 



After iLsing 

 once. 



After using 

 twice. 



0-240 



0-383 



After using 

 tln-ee times. 



0-44G 



After using 

 four times. 



0-640 



In the air-dried condition tlic soil, even after being ii.sed four times, con- 

 tained less than a half per cent, of nitrogen, and, as the Table sho-ws, only 

 0-54 per cent, in the fully dried condition. Thus, after passing through the 

 closet four times, the soil wai but little richer than a good garden-mould ; 

 and the Committee must still say, "that such a manure, even if disposed of 

 free of charge, would bear carriage to a very short distance only." 



The Committee would refer to former Eeports for its opinion of the 

 system in other aspects than that of the mere manurial value of the product ; 

 and its conclusions will be found summarized further on. 



Section II. — Earhwood Sewage-Farm. 



The Committee paid another visit to this farm on the 17th May, 1873, and 

 found that nearly the whole of the land was occupied by Italian ryegrass, 

 except about one acre which had been planted with potatoes. There was a 

 very small sale for the ryegrass when green, so that it had been made into 

 hay and stacked ; some of last year's stacks still remained on the ground j 

 this shows the necessity of growing crops suited to the neighbouring markets, 

 or else of keeping live stock to consume them, and more particularly cows, 

 for which Italian ryegrass and similar forage crops (grown by means of pro- 

 perly conducted sewage-irrigation, and periodically cut and carried to the 

 stalls) are especially suitable. 



At the above date the first crop of ryegrass was only just being cut, whereas 

 the third or fourth crop ought to have been ready, and would have been on a 

 thoroughly drained, properly laid out, and systematically managed sewage-farm. 



Samples were collected of the effluent water as it flowed in a ditch, on its 

 way to the river Mole, about half a mile from the farm ; and the results of 

 analysis showed that the sewage was much more satisfactorily purified during 

 the dry summer of 1873 than during the wet one of 1871, when the land 

 was supersaturated. 



In former Eeports of the Committee attention was drawn to this farm, -n^hich 

 was then receiving the sewage of Red Hill ; it was intended that the sewage of 

 the town of lleigate should also be conducted to this farm, but the works for this 

 purpose are not yet completed. 



Analysis. 



N.B. — Samples taken twice a day, in tlie proportion of iJou of tl:efIo-n' per minute. 

 Eesults given in parts per 100,000. 



