2 
Report of the Judges on the 
operations, have told with even greater force upon sewage farms, 
Avhich necessarily at all times have to dispose of a large quan- 
tity of water, in addition to the ordinary rain falling on the 
land. If, therefore, in the following reports, remarks of a dis- 
paraging nature are made, not only should the difficulties of 
keeping an ordinary farm clean during the last season be borne 
in mind, but also that the difficulties are much greater in the 
case of sewage farms, where hoeing, instead of destroying, has 
only transplanted the weeds. Moreover, the expenses on a 
sewage farm during such a season as that of 1879 have been 
considerably greater than usual in consequence of the difficulties 
experienced in attempting to harvest hay and corn through a 
protracted period ; while the difficulty of disposing of green 
produce was increased, owing to the general abundance of grass 
and other green crops, and at the same time sewage-grown 
produce was much depreciated in value. The annexed table 
will show some of the chief monetary features of the several 
farms which have been examined, from which it will be seen 
that the profit or loss on a sewage farm is almost entirely 
dependent upon the amount of rent, rates, and taxes which are 
paid. The conclusions to be drawn from our investigations lead 
us to state that practically there appears to be no great value in 
sewage itself, but that, given an ordinary farm and a sewage 
farm at the same rent, the sewage farm will hold its own 
even in a wet and backward year like the past, but in dry 
periods the sewage farm has a much greater advantage over an 
ordinary farm. As a mode of effectually disposing of sewage 
in an innocuous manner, and generally in an economical way, 
an examination of the several farms and of their accounts shows 
that the system pursued is most successful and satisfactory. The 
advantage and economy of sewage-farming, as a mode of dealing 
with sewage, are shown very conclusively in the case of Bir- 
mingham, in which the farming operations show a profit of 
1064Z. 18s. Id. in the year 1878, while the chemical treatment 
of the sewage, two-thirds of which is passed into the streams 
of the district after such treatment, cost in the same year 
11,987Z. 155. 3rf. 
It will be observed from the annexed table that there is 
a very considerable difference both in the amount of capital 
engaged upon the several farms, and in the gross returns per acre. 
In cases where market gardening is in vogue, as at Bedford, Bir- 
mingham, Wrexham, and, to a small extent, at Croydon, the 
gross returns per acre are the largest. The amount of wages 
paid per acre on these farms is also the greatest. The gross 
returns per acre for Leamington appear small, but this is due to 
its being saddled with a large acreage of grass-land, which by 
