Dry Earth System of Conservancy. 105 



lishments, render its careful consideration by all municipal and 

 other governing authorities a matter of great importance. 



" I enclose a memorandum, which describes the process, its 

 benefits, and success ; and I commend it to your consideration. 



" The poor soil which surrounds Sydney renders it very desir- 

 able that the ground for garden and agricultural purposes should 

 be supplied Avith manure at as cheap a rate as possible ; the dry 

 earth system may be made of great benefit in this respect, and 

 the cost of conservancy reduced very considerably — perhaps to 

 nothing, while the improvement of the land wiil be of the greatest 

 importance. 



" In your municipality you are not bound down by any estab- 

 lished sewage system, it is therefore open to you to introduce this 

 plan, and to keep the land free from the impurities that must arise 

 in the absence of any proper arrangement for the complete re- 

 moval of sewage from houses. 



" I have the honour to be, Sir, your obedient servant, 



(Signed) " E. S. P. Bedford. 



" P.S. — I have forwarded a similar communication to the 

 other municipalities." 



MEMORANDUM. 



„ A model system of dry earth conservancy should aim at two 

 things — a. The deprivation of the substance to be conserved of 

 its natural moisture, with the view of suspending putrefaction 

 and waste, b. The restoration to the soil of the animal excretions, 

 with their fertilising properties unimpaired. Material points 

 to be remembered are : — 1. That a sufficient quantity of dry earth, 

 properly sifted, be stored undercover for use ; this must be par- 

 ticularly attended to before rain. 2. That the dry earth and 

 excreta "poudrette " be removed daily and deposited, protected 

 from rain. 3. That wherever it may be necessary to erect latrines, 

 they be constructed on a plan suitable for the dry earth system, 

 and approved by authority. No wooden tubs should be used, but 

 iron receptacles, tarred within, and those for urine three-quarters 

 filled with dry screened clay. When the earth requires screening 

 it must be done before the earth is taken to the latrine. A box 

 with dry earth, with a scoop to be placed in the privy, and a scoop- 

 ful is required to be thrown in on each occasion of its use. The 

 earth might be applied mechanically. Simple instructions to 

 persons using hospital or public latrines should be placed in con- 

 spicuous places. The quantity of earth required each day will 

 not be less than eleven pounds for each person, and if of unsuit- 

 able quality, seventeen pounds. Two pounds of pure clay absorbs 

 one pound of water as completely as six pounds of earth composed 

 principally of sand and gravel. The most suitable is clay, with a 



