10 
Appendices to Eighth Annual Report 
of them. The new pass in the dam has been by no means an expensive 
one, as I was informed that it cost only about £100. 
In company with Mr Don, clerk to the District Board, and the 
Superintendent, I inspected this pass and afterwards the highly interest- 
ing sewage farm which has been formed with the view of deodorising 
and utilising the pollutions from the manufactories at Brechin. The dam 
at Brechin Castle is a steep and lofty dike with rather a long apron 
particularly ou the left or town bank of the river. A pass constructed 
about two years ago, modelled upon the excellent one at Morphie, though 
steeper in gradient and not widened out at the lower extremity, has been 
put into this dam. When I saw it, it had black water all down the 
centre of it, and as the river below the foot of the pass has been cleared 
out and deepened, salmon are said to have no difficulty in ascending it, 
so that the angling above should soon be greatly improved and the capa- 
bilities of the upper spawning grounds should be, at last, properly de- 
veloped. The Earl of Dalhousie has a right of cruive fishing in connection 
with this dike, and though the space formerly occupied by the cruive- 
boxes has been filled up, they may again be put in on notice given. 
Below Brechin Dike is Eastmill Dam which does not present any 
insuperable obstacle to the ascent of salmon when the river is in such a 
state as to induce them to run. The lade connected with this mill is 
Jong, broad, and deep — quite a small river — and the tail-lade discharges 
into Craig Pool, near the sewage farm. The lowest weir is termed 
Kinnaird's Dam. This is a curved dam, and salmon should be able to 
take it when the river is high. The pass is not a good one, and it 
might have been better placed. 
Sewage Farm After inspecting these dams, I proceeded to the sewage farm, which 
with^ownof was <l u i te m an infant state when I visited it six years ago. Now it 
Brechin and is a thriving establishment, about 15 acres in extent, which is found to 
answer the purpose very well. When I saw it, besides grass, there 
were crops of mangold, splendid turnips, both yellows and swedes, 
cabbages, and mashley comprising beans, peas, etc. They take five or 
six crops of grass off the farm every year and could take more were there 
sufficient demand for it. The ground of this sewage farm, it should be 
mentioned, was originally good soil, not sandy or waste ground. There 
is a settling tank in one corner where the solid sewage is collected and 
sold. The sewage of Brechin and the refuse of two, at least, of the great 
mills on the river are conducted to the farm. The sewage water, after 
passing over and through the farm, is discharged into a deep and spacious 
part of the river called the Craig Pool. I am indebted to Messrs Shiell 
and Don, clerks to the South Esk District Board, for the following state- 
ment showing the cost of the formation of the sewage farm (£1123, 
8s. 8d.), and a balance-sheet of the income and expenditure in connection 
with it for year ending 15th May 1889 — 
SEWAGE FARM (Extent about 15 Imperial Acres). 
Income and Expenditure during Year ending 15th May 1889. 
Income. 
Hy amount of Receipts for Grass sold, 
Mashley sold, . 
Mangold sold, . 
Turnips sold, . 
£50 8 11 
16 2 0 
8 5 0 
32 6 8 
12 16 9 
9 14 6 
39 4 7£ 
Cabbage, Carrots, Peas, etc., sold, 
Manure sold, . 
Debit Balance, 
£168 18 5£ 
