Sewage Farm Competition, 1879. 
13 
crop. This crop was sown on land in which parsnips and mangolds had been 
grown the ])revious year. The parsnips had not been scwaged when growing ; 
the mangolds were sewagcd while nndcsr cultivation. The oat crop looked 
much better on the part following the mangolds than on that following the 
parsnips. This crop, like all other cereal crops, is not sewaged during the 
period of growth. 
Barleij. — This was a heavy crop, but lodged. It was sown on land that 
had grown mangolds the previous year, and the land had been sewaged after 
the mangolds had been removed at the end of the year 1878. 
Celery. — Celery is grown on this farm, and it is found to be one of the best 
sewage crops grown. The trenches for the reception of the young plants are 
■well sewaged before planting, and the crop is greatly benefited by the frequent 
dressings of sewage during the period of growth. The sewage is applied 
between the rows. 
Lettuces, mparagus, and other small garden crops, are grown on land that 
receives an occasional dressing of sewage. 
Rotation of Cropping. — A portion of this farm being liable to flooding, it is 
found impossible to carry out, on this account, any regular system of rota- 
tion of cropping. On some of the land the following system is observed : — 
1st, rye-grass ibr two years ; 2nd, mangolds ; 3rd, wheat or oats ; 4th, onions 
or potatoes, followed by rye-grass. 
Horses. — Six strong Shire-bred horses are employed on this 
farm solely for working the land and other farm operations. In 
the summer the horses are principally fed on rye-grass, and in 
the winter with beans, oats, and chaff, with a considerable 
amount of roots, carrots being generally used until Christmas, 
and mangolds afterwards. The manager reported that this course 
of feeding keeps the horses particularly healthy. He also reported, 
in answer to special inquiry, that he never had a greasy-legged 
horse on the farm, and does not consider the horses on the sew- 
age farm more liable to that or any other disease than on farms 
under ordinary cultivation. He further reported that the veteri- 
nary surgeon's bill on this sewage farm, during the last four 
years, averaged about 3s. Qd. per horse. 
Sanitary. — Eight persons reside on the farm, six of whom are 
children, and about twenty men and boys are engaged on the 
farm, who do not reside on it. Mr. J. H. Collett, the farm 
manager, reported — " No man, either living or working on the 
farm, or any man living near, has ever suffered from any epi- 
demic disease. 
" No man ever employed on this farm for a sufficient length 
of time to have felt the ill-effects of sewage has died up to the 
present time, neither has there been a death of any resident, 
young or old. 
" I can give you no other information on this point excepting 
that my men have been particularly healthy, and I have never 
heard the men employed on this, or the adjoining farms, or any 
person living near, ever complain of injury or annoyance from 
our utilisation of sewage." 
