Half-a-dozen Englinh Scioage Farms. 
437 
grass ready for one of its earlier cuttings during its first year. 
Sown in August or early in September, and properly sewaged 
afterwards, it is in April of the following year the most wonderful 
picture of fertility which English agriculture knows. Let the 
land, however, be ploughed up in the following November. Its 
second year will not be half so satisfactory; and the land will do 
better, after a winter sewaging, in early potatoes removed for 
another rye-grass seeding in the following autumn, or for mangel- 
wurzel to be followed by cabbages in the third year; these to be 
. removed for an autumn seeding. In its second year, Italian rye- 
grass is rarely satisfactory ; the same fertilising agency is applied 
to it, but the plant itself is gradually becoming incapable. 
The three lessons, then, which may, I think, be learnt of the 
farms to which I have referred are (1), the need of inexpensive 
distribution ; (2), the necessity of choosing fit crops for culti- 
vation ; (3), the need of confining our cultivation even of these 
to that period in the life and growth of each during which it 
retains in full vigour its power of assimilating the abundance 
of food for plants v/ith which we supply it. 
I One of the greatest difficulties which have to be encountered 
in sewage-farming is that of finding a market for its produce. 
This was pointed out more than ten years ago in a paper read 
before the Society of Arts, on London sewage from the agri- 
cultural point of view ; but the assertion of this particular diffi- 
, culty was then received with hilarity, and I was ironically 
congratulated on my anticipation of the disaster which was to 
arise from " a plethora of produce." It is a real difficulty, 
nevertheless. It may, to some extent, be met on the heavier 
class of soils by the expedient of ploughing a great deal of pro- 
<luce under during the first year or two, when a sale of milk 
or grass or garden-stuff is only gradually growing. Italian 
rye-grass may be repeatedly'ploughed under with advantage to 
the soil, especially on land stifFer than is desirable for sewage- 
i farming. Tliis in time will render it mellower and more manag-e- 
I able. The main resource, however, failing a direct sale of 
produce, will be found in the maintenance of live stock. There 
1 is no better food for milch-cows than sewage-grown Italian rye- 
grass; and, when withered somewhat before being given, it will 
!() well for any kind of stock. And a good stock-manager would, 
i believe, find little difficulty in maintaining on a properly 
ofjuipped sewage farm a large and healthy herd of all ages. 
A large number of calves could be reared, on a comparatively 
nail number of cows, throughout the year, and thus stock of 
I ages could be kept from year to year, until of full age for 
iie grazier or breeder. In this way, in milk production, and in 
VOL, XII.— S. S. 2 G 
III 
