New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1866-01-20
SEWAGE AND ITs UTILIZATION.

Our last article upon this topic closed with
summing up the testimony Of the Manager OF
the Croigentely Meadow, near Edinburgh,
given last Spring before the Parliamentary
Committee, to which was referred The Metro
politan Sewage and Essex Reclamation Bill.
Following this Manager came several farmers. A
dairyman, who reuts 4o.aores OF the Cragente!ly
meadows, test.fies that he pays on the average
eos per acre. but tha; without tie sewage 1t
would not be worth more than si1 shillings.
He keeps FIX COWS upon an acre. and sells their
milk at $50 each. Certain other lands rented
BY this witness, being light, sandy soils, ald
making good garden ground" grow no more
grass when irrigated with sewage) than the
Craigentelly sands. The most curious part OF
this evidence is that the sewage Of Edinburgh,
which raises tie rental OF these lands ffon ax
shilngs to 50, and G3G per acre, benefits only
the owner and lessee, aud is furnished By tie
city without any return.
The Chairman Of the local Board Of Heath
Of Croydcn-a town OF some -, o0Oinbehtants-
states tina, they had used the whole Of the sew
age Of that place. 100000 tuns annually, hr
several years. Two or three years preyious
there had been complaints of Il nuisance arising
for when tie acreage OF the meadows was
very limited, and tie sewage was applied
TO Il or 20 acres only. the mechanically
suspendcl matter of the sewage became too
thickly deposited on the land. The al al
CROYDON i, ga thin, black. sandy kind OF soil,
resting upon deep gravel" and the sewage
GA sily percolstes through it, The witness state
tina, eve have got about thirty acres noT that
has been converted into irrigated land upon
pure clay. md itappearS to be doing exceedingly
well upon i; the water goes oil, | am sun, you
will be pleased to hear. very pure. The S'siem
is upon the clay land; we find 1t ran too hinly
over the surface, and the grass upon the Srace
throws ont quantity of iibrous roots which
come to tie surface, aud, therefore, II puriies the
sewage 90 the surface"
The most comprehensive and recent wofA
mon the whole subject OF sewage utilization IL
the third report Of ihe special Royal Commission
Amounted for di tinct inquiry. The report was
presented in March last. and was printer as 4
Parliamentary document. The Comm'son was
appointed al the beginning OF lo5', nd the
present report gives the results Of experiments
continued during three years, these experiments
not being confined to the mere application o'
sewage to land, but oxtcndngto tho ''cdlsump-
ton by cattle, of the produce so obtaled' ana
10 the production Of meat and milk, accompanied
BY q careful record Of the quantities and market
value of the products, and by numerous Analyses
of the sewage before aud after irrgalon' as
also of the grass and the milk" Three por'
,;ons of land were selected, of about I've acres
each. and each of these was again divided INTO
four plots. Plot No. 1 was to be unfewaged;
No. 2 to DO sewaged at the rate of 500 tuns
per acre per annum; No. 3 at the rate OF o'ooV
tuus. and No. 4 at the rate of 5000 tuns per
acre per snnum. The produce Of the hrst por'
ton Of land, comprsingthe four plots was 70
10 sivsu. in the green ststs. 10 fattsnias eIsa'