24 
Report of the Judges on the 
sods laid one upon another, and the land, which has a gentle 
slope, has been laid out as nearly as possible in five-acre plots, 
each plot being again subdivided by carriers for the convenience 
of irrigating, cutting, and removing the crops. Rye-grass 
cutting is commenced at the bottom of each plot and continued 
upwards, so that when the bottom of the plot is cleared of the 
crop it may be again irrigated without interfering with the crop 
upon the upper portion of the plot. The sewage is distributed 
by means of contour carriers, which are ploughed out from 
time to time when the crop is ready for the reception of the 
sewage. Portions of the ground which required drainage have 
been under-drained to a depth of from 4 to 6 feet, the drains 
being from 30 to GO feet apart. 
Mr. Blackburn has grown all sorts of crops upon the land, 
but he now devotes his attention to the cultivation of rye-grass, 
potatoes, and rhubarb. The cropping of the year 1879 was ; — 
Acres. 
Potatoes 57^ 
Rye-grass 40 
Rhubarb IJ 
Cabbage plants j 
Total. .99 
Bye-grass. — As a rule this crop is not allowed to stand longer than two 
years, and the greater portion for onl}' one year. It is generally sown in 
September and October, following potatoes, after the land has been grubbed 
and cleaned, 2 to 3 bushels of seed to the acre being sown. The seed is all 
grown upon the farm, the second crop of the second year being selected for 
seed. From 4 to G quarters of seed per acre are grown, and at the same time 
about I2 to 2 tons per acre of ryegrass-hay are made. This home-grown 
seed is found by experience to be far superior to any bought seed. In no 
case has the rj'e-grass upon this farm been allowed to stand for three years, as 
in the case of some of the other sewage farms we visited, but after the second 
year it is ploughed up for potatoes. The rye-grass is sold to cow-keepers on 
the land, and to contractors for the use of horses, a nominal quantity only 
being reserved for sjjocial customers and for one cow kept upon the farm for 
the purpose of supplying the farm-bailifif and his family with milk. The 
grass is sold at so much per acre in the spring, the purchaser doing what he 
likes with it. Both this year and last year, in consequence of the abundance 
of feed, a considerable quantity of the grass was made into hay. The long 
frost and snow of the winter of 1878-9 killed a portion of the newly-sown 
grass, but, by rc-sowing in the early spring, before the summer a good and 
uniform crop appeared all over the land. The first crop of rye-grass upon 
this farm was cut in 1879, on the 1st of April, which is a month later than 
cutting took jilace in the previous year. Usually the rye-grass is cut four, 
five, and six times a year, depending on whether it is to be used for horses, 
cows, or other cattle. 
Potatoes. — Potatoes are the chief crop grown upon tliis farm, and in their 
cultivation Mr. Blackburn has had great experience, and has elicited valuable 
results as to the varieties which are best adapted for sewage culture. In 
