40G 
Sewage- Farming. 
tons of sewage were used pei' acre for tlie production of 23^ tons 
of grass (the actual yield where this extraordinary irrigation was 
carried out). As, however, it is almost impossible to believe 
that this represents anything but a very exceptional state of things, 
I prefer to draw attention to the amount of sewage applied over 
the whole farm upon rye-grass. This, in the year alluded to, was 
8688 tons per acre, which resulted in 27J tons of rye-grass for 
cutting; in other words, 314 tons of sewage to 1 ton of grass. 
Now, the average rainfall of this district of Essex scarcely 
exceeds 21 inches annually, and may be taken at 17 inches for 
the growing period from February to November. In 1870, a 
deficiency existed in those months of not more than 6 inches ; 
and taking an inch of rainfall to amount to 100 tons per acre, as 
it does approximately,* we have the fact that a deficiency of 
rainfall of 600 tons, replaced by 8688 tons of sewage (or in other 
words 14 times the amount of the deficiency), was only equal 
to the growth of a crop of grass representing two-thirds of an 
average of that grown upon sewage-cultivated land ! These facts, 
taken from Mr. Morgan's Report for 1870, are very discouraging. 
Assuming that much of the land upon Avhich the grass was 
grown would have produced no crop at all under the burning 
sun of last summer, in its natural state, it yet seems incredible 
that upwards of 7 feet in vertical depth of fertilizing liquid, 
yielding nitrogen of the value of 70/, and upwards per acre, 
should bring forth such a miserable return. I have before said 
that there are quicksands which the sewage-farmer must avoid, 
as well as beacons which should guide him ; and I think these 
figures (assuming their correctness) conclusively prove that the 
greatest waste may be accompanied by insignificant results, and 
that the selection of land should be a matter of much fore- 
thought and caution. 
Crops. 
The crops which have already been cultivated under sewage, 
with more or less success, are legion. Indeed, it may be doubted 
whether any plant would not to some extent pay for its applica- 
tion. I need not spend time, therefore, in the enumeration of such 
plants, herbs, roots, and fruits as may be seen by any visitor to 
* The following Table may be useful to those who wish to estimate the weight 
or bulk of rainfall or sewage per acre. It is extracted from Mr. G. J. Symon's 
' British Rainfall,' 1865 : — 
Inches] .. .. 
Tons per acre 
Gallons , , 
Cubic feet , , \ 
A cube of , , 
0-1 
0-2 
0-3 
0-4 
0-5 
0-6 
0-7 
0-8 
0-9 
10 
20 
30 
40 
50 
61 
71 
81 
91 
2262 
4325 
6787 
9049 
11312 
13574 
15836 
18098 
20361 
363 
726 
1089 
1453 
1815 
2178 
2541 
2904 
3267 
7-1 ft. 
9-0 ft. 
10-3 ft. 
11 -3 ft. 
12 -2 ft. 
13-0 ft. 
13-6 ft. 
14-3 ft. 
14 -8 ft.' 
1 
1 in. 
101 
22620 
3630 
