416 
Half-a-dozen English Sewage Farms. 
horses work on the farm, and 3 at the Park ; for, in addition to 
the 375 acres at Heathcote, there are 50 acres of plough-land and 
200 acres of pasture-land at the Park under Mr. Tough's man- 
agement, for the pasturage of which, however, cattle are pur- 
chased and provided, in addition to the stock enumerated. The 
above large stock was kept on the produce of the Heathcote Farm 
alone. The cropping of the land during the past six years is 
given in the Table opposite. 
The quantity of sewage pumped daily over these fields varies 
from 800,000 to 1,000,000 gallons. The whole house- waste of 
the town comes to the outfall, where there is sufficient reservoir 
accommodation to render it generally unnecessary to pump on 
Sundays. During flood-time, of course, the reservoirs are full, 
and the overflow runs to the Leam ; but in dry weather three 
hours' pumping suffices to empty them. Four men are daily 
engaged in distributing the sewage, generally at as many different 
points upon the farm, according to the needs of the crop, or of 
the land, or the power of the soil on different fields to deal 
with it at such times as it is not wanted for the promotion of 
current growth. These four men are, however, available for other 
work during a great part of their time. During spring and 
summer they are employed in cutting grass for purchasers, who 
bring their carts for its removal, paying from %d. to \s. a rod 
for the grass as it is cut. They receive 17s. a week, besides \s. 
an acre for the grass they cut, and can generally make about 
21s. a week during the year. The water is in autumn and 
winter roughly directed by plough- and spade-made furrows over 
the stubbles and the fallows intended for next year's beans, 
•oats, barley, and mangel-wurzel. In spring and summer the 
Italian rye-grass takes the most of it, but mangels, cabbages, and 
various garden crops are watered as they want it ; and the 
neighbouring grass-fields receive it when the tenants apply for 
it. The quantity applied, and the number of dressings given 
during 1876, Avill be gathered from the Table on page 418. 
A record of this kind has been kept ever since the work 
began in 1871 ; 927,961 tons were distributed in 1872 ; 1,291,442 
tons in 1873; 1,318,619 tons in 1874; and 1,451,930 tons in 
1875 ; and out of this the sewage supplied to farmer^ outside 
has varied from 104,000 to 205,000 tons per annum. 
The resultant produce on the Heathcote Farm is very remark- 
able. Referring only to the 54 acres of Italian rye-grass, partly 
one and partly two years old, to which, with about 12 acres not 
cropped that year, no less than 900,000 tons were applied in 
1875, the accounts for that year show that more than 800/. was 
received for grass sold from that area, besides the daily pro- 
vision of green food for 30 to 40 cows and 16 horses during the 
