460 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ Uovemb 2 r 15, 1888. 
farming is a very questionable process. Sewage distributed daily 
in its crude state over any piece of land slowly but surely clogs 
the pores of the soil, and its effluvium then becomes more and 
more offensive, sending sickness and disease upon every passing 
breeze into every habitation within its reach. These facts ought 
certainly to have weight with the corporations of large towns and 
cause them to hesitate before taking up any costly sewage scheme 
rashly. 
A general adoption of some method of sewage precipitation is 
inevitable, by means of which it becomes deodorised, the effluent 
passing from it free of all foul taint or scent, and all its precious 
‘fertility being retained in the sludge. Apart from any sanitary 
consideration, the high commercial value of the concentrated 
fertility of sewage commends the matter strongly to general 
attention. The best form in which such “ native guano ” has 
■come into our hands was in that of a dry powder manufactured 
foy the International Water and Sewage Purification Company at 
their works at Acton. This powder is inodorous, of light weight, 
and therefore very portable and easy of application to the soil. 
Applied to Barley with the mixture of nitrogenous and mineral 
manures we used this season, its effect was to increase the bulk of 
straw and yield of grain materially. But it was upon root crops 
that it told best. Used side by side with a he ivy dressing of farm¬ 
yard manure for Mangolds it held its own admirably, and with 
Swedes the crop was altogether superior to that from farmyard 
manure. If this very excellent form of precipitated sewage can 
Joe so prepared and sold to the farmer at a low rate the sewage 
problem is practically solved. Before all things we would advise 
the Company to strive for two things, and these are to render the 
ratio of fertility to bulk as high as possible, and to be c on tent with 
a low margin of profit at the outset. Once get such a manure 
thoroughly established in home commerce as a prime fertiliser of 
the soil, and an increasing profit would be found in a growing 
demand. 
But, alas 1 the introduction of a new manurial agent is a slow 
and difficult undertaking. No matter how disinterested one may 
be, how pure and effective the manure, how clear and unrnis- 
takeable the results, ignorance and prejudice combine to hinder that 
which is so clearly desirable for the common good. Among other 
reasons for this foolish opposition the adulteration of artificial 
manures specially mixed for certain crops is certainly one of the 
chief causes, yet it has been proved to demonstration repeatedly 
that without a systematic and intelligent application of manure 
farming doe3 not answer : with it, it undoubtedly continues to 
answer, and although we cannot hope for a return of the excep¬ 
tional high prices of the “good times,” yet we know that with 
sound practice a fair margin of profit may still be had. Lying 
upon our table as we write there are two bunches of Wheat ears, 
each bunch being a fair sample of the crop in the field from which 
it was taken. One bunch consists of puny ears much undersized- 
just so many meagre starvelings. We rub out the grain from one 
car and find the number to be exactly twenty-four. Turning to the 
other bunch we have fine bold ears, all fair examples of really well S 
grown corn, and one ear affords fifty-seven fine bold grains as | 
supeiior to the others in size as in quantity. We quote this as a 
fair example of the wide difference there is between high and low 
farming ; but the lesson has a much higher significance, for it clearly 
illustrates the cause of failure and success. To have a full and 
profitable crop of Wheat we must first have cleanliness, drainage, 
and mechanicd division, then by a judicious use of manure, timely 
culture, and the use of pure carefully selected seed, the requisite 
crown and finish is given to our work. 
We were led to write this article by reading an interesting [ 
account cf a new sewage scheme for Manchester in Bell's Weekly 
Messenger. The Corporal im of that town purpose spending 
£490,010 upon this impoitant undertaking, the most interesting 
feature; of which to farmers are two large intercepting sewers, and , 
the che nical precipitation of the sewage, which under the existing 1 
system finds its way into the Irwell by numerous drains and 
streams. The sludge obtained by the process of precipitation is to 
be offered to farmers at the rate of about 25 tons daily. It is sup¬ 
posed there will be a ready sale, because in Leeds the demand for 
the sludge is greater than the supply. The sludge requires no pre¬ 
paration for use by the farmer, it comes to his hands ready for the 
land at a price which appears to induce everyone who can get the 
slulge to give it a trial. 
WORK ON THE HOME FARM. 
Excellent work is being done on the land now, ploughing and 
sowing being pushed on, and every effort made to bring up the heavy 
arrears of such work as closely as possible by the end of this month. 
So far the Wheat plant that is visible is quite satisfactory, and we are 
glad to find germination in the seed Wheat quite up to the average. The 
general prevalence of cold wet weather while the Wheat was in flower 
induced many farmers to fear that full development of the grain could 
not follow, but by careful cleaning there is no difficulty in obtaining 
really good seed. The chief difficulty so far has been in sowing-in really 
well, for much heavy land becomes saturated with moisture near the 
surface after a few days’ steady rain, so i that when the weather becomes 
fine again it is only by a free use of the harrows before and after the 
drilling that we can get the seed well covered. 
Pigs have been altogether withdrawn from the stubbles, and are now 
closely confined to the yards. We have more pigs than is usual at this 
season of the year in order to turn all inferior Barley to best account by 
using it for them. We altogether prefer large warm sheds to single 
sties or pens for pigs, for with plenty of dry clean straw, wholesome 
food, and a yard for gentle exercise, they thrive and run very little risk 
of disease. It is undoubtedly because they are kept in small dirty 
sties and are allowed to consume much foul garbage that there are such 
heavy losses from swine fever. We may be told that in order to turn 
pigs to full account they must be used to make manure, and this fact of 
necessity involves having some filth in the yards. But if due care is 
taken to use fresh litter sufficiently often no harm to the pigs need 
arise from it. 
Lambs entering the hogget stage require special care just now, and 
they should be withdrawn from low damp pasture and sodden heavy 
land. They require change, and answer best when folded upon Turnips 
or Mustard by night, and are let run upon sound pasture by day. The 
high value of sheep as an adjunct to corn farming has induced farmers 
to give more attention to having a fair proportion of pasture of some 
sort or other for them. 
OUR LETTER BOX. 
Treatment of Poor Pasture ( A . 2?.).—The poor weedy pasture 
should be ploughed now, and next spring by the repeated use of plough 
and harrows, weeds and grass should be all got out of the soil, collected 
in heaps, and burnt. How early this can be done will depend upon the 
weather. The frequent stirring of the soil to clear off the weeds will 
impart the deep tine tilth to it which it is so important to have in a 
seed bed for the Grasses of permanent pasture. As soon as the soil has 
thus been made ready for the seed sow the following mixture ;— 
Perennial Rye Grass, 10 lbs. ; Cocksfoot, 7 lbs. ; Timothy, 3 lbs.; Tall 
Fescue, 3 lbs.; Meadow Fescue, 3 lbs. ; Crested Dogstail, 2 lbs. ; and 
1 lb. of each of Sheep’s Fescue, Rough Meadow Fescue, Hard Fescue, 
Milfoil, Perennial Red Clover, White Dutch Clover, Alsike, and Cow 
Grass. If required a crop of Oats may be taken with the seeds, but 
as your sole object appears to have good pasture as soon as possible do 
not sow Oats. If the soil is poor apply with the seed 1 cwt. of nitrate 
of soda, and J cwt. each of steamed bone flour and mineral super¬ 
phosphate. 
METEOROLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS, 
CAMDEN SQUARE, LONDON. 
Lat. 51° 88' 40" N.; Long. 0° 8'0" W. ; Altitude, 111 feet. 
Date. 
9 A.M. 
IN THE DAT. 
Hygrome- 
a . 
Shade Tem- 
Radiation 
a 
1888. 
§5*8 ter. 
is a 
ill 
perature. 
Temperature 
& 
November. 
c O- 
In 
On 
— os j Dry. 
Wet. 
5-3 
H 
Max. Min. 
sun. 
grass 
Inches, deg 
dee. 
dec. 
deg. 
dee. 
dee. 
dee. 
In. 
Sunday . 
4 
29.8 7 | 47 4 
40 4 
NE. 
47 4 
ft 4 6 
43 2 
76.8 
3)6 
0 0H» 
Monday. 
ft 
29 840 47.7 
47 7 
N.E. 
47 6 
53 7 
44 5 
0-.4 
36 3 
0.'2) 
Tuesday .. . 
6 
19 89 ) 89.6 
37.5 
K. 
47 5 
40 5 
89 2 
43 5 
: 9 7 
Wednesday.. 
7 
29 78 ) 3-5.6 
33.6 
E. 
45-3 
39.6 
35 8 
45.5 
3 o 
_ 
Thursday.... 
8 
29 8‘6 1 301 
38.6 
K. 
43 9 
44.6 
30 2 
48.0 
.‘2 2 
0.188 
Friday . 
9 
20 8 O | ,*89 
39 4 
K. 
44 2 
46.3 
38 9 
54.2 
39.4 
0,«14 
Saturday .... 
10 
29.906 1 39.7 
38.2 
E. 
43 9 
46.4 
35.2 
04.1 
21.8 
0.278 
29842 413 
40.2 
| 45.7 
48.5 
89.) 
57.2 
84.5 
0.580 
REMARKS. 
4tb.—M ming gtn’ral y bright, afternoon dull with one or two faint gleam 5 * of sun, 
shower^la evening. 
5th.—Dull and foggy early, bright day, drizzly evening, gale at night. 
6th.— Fre-h *-old duv w thou: sun>hlne, gale at night. 
7th —C « udy and cold. 
8th.—Otilt e ; old day, rain at nieh f . 
iHh— Wet rill 11 A M.,theu overcast. 
10th.—Fine bright <ia>, ram at n ; ght. 
Cooler, damp, and generally overcast.—G. J. SYMONS. 
