Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-10-19
SEWAGE AND DRAIN AGE

The question OF proper sewage and drainage
Il now receiving great attention on che other
side of the Atlantic, and not content with con-
siderIng merely the best way of getting rid of
the refuse matter which accumulates In cities
and towns, means are being taken to make it 4
source of wealth. The filth, which left to
evaporate in the open air is a fruitful cause OF
disease and death, and which enptied into
rivers or canals poisons the waters, contains
a sufficient quantity of fertilzing material to
make the waste lands in the neighborhood of
many of our large cities as productive as the
best cultivated and most richly MANFRED
farms The sewage which helps to fill mp the
Washington Canal might be made available to
enrich enough of the farm land in Virginia
near this city to supply our markets with
garden produce. Experiments in England
have proved that, contrary to the theories of
certain writers, the wage contains abundance
OF silcates for the raising of grain; and If, by
the aid Of chemistry, the ammonia, so inyaIu
able to agriculture, which is now lost in the
air, could be retained, there would be few
better fertilizers than that which our sewers
would yield.
In England, the political economists who
are urging reform Of the present system ha We
been greatly encouraged, and the whole sub
ject OF town drainage il likely to be reyolu
tioRized, by a late legal decree which awarded
damages for discharging the sewage matter of
bennington into the Lean, and sequestrated
the municipal funds in satisfaction OF the
clsim. A similar decree in this country would
necessitate such attention to the subject as it is
not likely to receive at present, although /,
will pay, IN pecuniary sense alone, as proved
by the results accomplished in England, WHARF
the great sewage system carried out by the
Metropolitan Board Of Works in London, at q
cost Of f3,0O0,G00. Is 10 be further improved nv
applying the ferhlizing material to eight
thousand acres of b1rren lands at Maplip.
which it is proposed to render as productive as
garden; at the same time bringing the Sc wage
within reach OF many thou?and acres OF arabic
land. An experiment is now in progress at
Lodge Farm" comprising two hundred
acres. The London Star ays:-"Tbe sew.
age at present used is brought through
15-inch pipes to the farm from the pumninp
station. The pump is worked by an engine
OF 25-horse power, which, when the culyerts
are complete, will be used for the general pur
poses OF the farm. The pipes are carried uu-
der The soil on the line OF The future culyerts,
and discharge through syphon into a tank on
the boundary OF The farm. In this tank ara
regulating chambers, and the height over the
soil is sufficient to secure rapid aud thorough
irrigation. which Is effected through moyeahIs
shoots as we'll as through the field carriers
The farm is devoted 10 the raising OF grass and
green crops principally, but experiments have
teen made In white crops and garden vege-
tables, which have succeeded to admiration
The grass laid down extends 10 fifty or sixty
acres, and is principally Indian rye grass
The growth is almost beyond belief. There
are already this year seven cuttings, at from
seven TO ten tons the acre each CUTTING Ths
company maintain en- the farm at present one
hundred and eleven cows all giving milk, and
al ole period Of the present season they had
two hundred and seventy.six, but even then
they did not feed off all their own grass. The
company, when in operation, calculate On
realizing f75O,000a year. Assuming that all
the sewage were well sold. it would be much
more