Report on the Farm-Prize Competition o/'1886. 589 
90,000, is pumped on to the highest point of the VVhitlingham 
Hall Farm and spread over an area of 282 acres. The quantity 
delivered per twenty-four hours approaches nearly four million 
gallons. But as a matter of fact this is very poor, both the 
spring and storm water going into the sewers and becoming 
mixed with the sewage proper, rendering the quality variable 
and more difficult to utilise, while the cost of pumping to the 
city is much greater than if a separation were effected. Never- 
theless this enormous quantity — poor in quality, though it may 
be — confers great manurial power on the farm, stimulating the 
growth of large crops of grass and roots, while the suburban 
situation offers facilities for the ready disposal at fairly remune- 
rative prices of any surplus left after feeding such a large head 
of stock as are always on the place. 
The cropping as to 142 acres is a two-course rotation of 
roots and corn, chiefly mangolds and oats ; but a few acres of 
swedes are occasionally grown. 
The sewage is turned on the stubbles about the middle of 
October, and allowed to run there during the winter months as 
a dressing for the root crops, ploughing being deferred until it 
is sufficiently saturated in the spring. If the surface were to be 
broken by the plough or cultivator, so incohesive is the soil, 
that it would wash into holes and hills ; the stubble is thus 
necessary to hold it together, and acts as a filter. This, it will 
readily be seen, forms a great obstacle to clearing the land from 
weeds, a short time only in spring being available for the 
purpose, necessitating the free use of hoe and spud among the 
growing crops, as long as is possible. The after-cultivation is 
ploughing, and two or three harro wings. The land is once rolled; 
and the seed, 8 lbs. per acre for mangolds, is drilled on the flat. 
The quantity of swede seed drilled per acre is 3 pints, and then 
no more irrigation is given until it is again an oat stubble. 
No other manure is necessary, and the crops grown from 
sewage only are very fine ; the mangolds especially so. Swedes 
get too big and suffer in quality, which accounts for the limited 
acreage grown. The mangold crop, which was being secured 
on our November visit, was the largest and finest we ever saw. 
Certainly above 40 tons per acre. 
This year the area under mangolds is 51 acres, swedes 15 acres ; 
and if the crop of last year may be taken as a criterion, we 
should be safe in putting the probable yield of this year's sewaged 
roots at over 2500 tons. Over this part of the land the sewage 
is applied as described, biennially, none being required for the 
corn sown after roots. Black Tartar Oats is the variety grown, 
and generally do wonderfully well after sewaged mangold, 
yielding an average of 9 to 10 quarters per acre. The land is 
