412 
Seioage- Farming. 
yet been proved superior to other manures also administered 
without stint. It is in the manner of its provision to the soil that 
the chief benefit lies. " i'ea?< doit etre la charrette de I'engrais" 
was the expression of the celebrated French chemist Dumas, when, 
he saw the result of the Barking irrigation ; and although we may 
not feel disposed to admit this in its fullest sense, we must allow 
that, for facility of application and readiness of command, sewage 
is incomparably superior to other manures. In such sense water is 
undoubtedly the best dung-cart. 
Mr. Morgan's experience, at Barking, last year, distinctly goes 
to prove that a good dressing of dung, followed by irrigation, is, 
at any rate, advisable in the case of onions. " Even up to the last, 
the influence of the dung made itself apparent," says that gentle- 
man, in describing the cultivation of a field of onions, the 
crop on which was sold on the land at 43/. per acre. 
The comparative smallness of the returns from corn compared 
with those from many other crops must not, therefore, be allowed 
too much to influence the sewage-farmer. If its cultivation can be 
made successful — if cereal crops can alternate with green produce 
on some lands, and can be taken in succession on others — the 
moderate amount of labour required for their production, and the 
other advantages I have named, may weM be set against the ex- 
ceptional returns from some other sources. It has been much 
doubted whether cereals can be made to stand up under large 
applications of ammoniacal manure in such a form. I fail to see, 
however, any greater difficulty to the sewage-farmer than to his 
brother agriculturist in this particular. Undoubtedly land may 
be so enriched that the prospect of a good crop of corn in an 
ordinary season is hopeless. But successive crops or skilful alterna- 
tions should correct such a state of things, and large crops of straw 
would represent an unusual value under his special circumstances. 
Moreover, what evidence we have at present goes to prove that, 
even on unfavourable soils, good crops of wheat or other cereals 
may be reaped even in successive years. There is now growing 
at Barking, on poor stony gravel, a crop of wheat, the fifth in 
succession. The soil is hot, poor, and naturally unfavourable to 
corn ; nevertheless, last year, the produce was 5 quarters 6 bushels 
of wheat per acre, and the total return (with straw) 19/. 5s. Sd. 
The present appearance (July) of the growing crop is also very 
satisfactory. In the same year a piece of wheat on th-^ same farm, 
to which sewage had not been applied, but on far superior land, 
yielded but 3J quarters per acre. At Romford, Mr. Hope has 
grown large crops of oats experimentally, and barley has also 
been so successfully cultivated as to demand further trial. If, 
then, under cereal cultivation sewage can be applied to a far 
