136 Use of Town Sewage as Manure. 
manure from every available source, has given to this subject 
within the last few years an amount of interest and importance 
wliich cannot easily be overstated. The question is, however, 
surrounded with practical difficulties of no ordinary kind, and to 
some extent the interests of the two great parties are antagonistic ; 
that of the town population being, by an abundant use of water, 
to obtain as effectually as possible the cleansing of their streets 
and residences, whilst by this very means the difiiculties of 
turning the refuse of towns to account in agriculture are very 
greatly increased. It is only natural that, under such a condition 
of things, a host of plans should be proposed with the view of 
reconciling these embarrassments, and of uniting at once the 
interests of health and comfort in the towns with those of fertility 
and production in the country — that many of these should 
originate in ignorance and speculation is not to be wondered at, 
neither can we be surprised that the two parties interested, espe- 
cially the town population, with whom delay in the matter is 
disease and death, should gladly catch at any plan which pro- 
mises a speedy solution of the difficult problem. Those who 
look on |,witli sufficient knowledge of the subject to form an 
opinion, and v/ith the impartiality due to an absence of all 
personal interest, will not fail to see that the urgency of the 
subject is powerfully contributing to the adoption of some im- 
practicable schemes, and that arrangements are in progress in 
several localities for the utilising of town sewage on plans which 
betray a total ignorance of the nature of that sewage, and which 
cannot fail to end in discomfiture and disappointment to all con- 
cerned, and to none more than to the towns which shall be 
unwise enough to adopt them. These were my grounds for 
addressing the members of this Society, as I before mentioned, 
and endeavouring, to the best of my abilities, conscientiously and 
impartially, but fearlessly, to guard them from embarking in or 
lending the force of their approbation to ill-advised schemes for 
the attainment of objects which at present bafHe the exertion of 
tliose most competent to grapple with them. I considered it my 
duty to bring the subject before our members in the form I did, 
but I expressed then, and now repeat my earnest wish, to avoid 
doing injury to individuals who may, in perfect good faith, have 
entered upon any plans of this sort ; and I confined myself to 
pointing out the principles upon which the sewage was, or was 
not, to be made available for agricultural use, leaving it to each 
one to apply tliese principles to any case that might come under 
his notice. In dealing with this subject I shall not weary the 
reader with any great detail, but shall endeavour to take such a 
broad, common-sense view of the question as may be readily 
comprehended by those least acquainted with the composition of 
