Sacramento daily record-union., 1883-09-13
APPLICATIONS oF SEWAGE TO LANDS,
Can It be so Used without Injurious Re-
suits to Health?

Can 1t be so Used without Injurious Re-
suits to Health?
State Engineer Hall, in the second part
Of his report with reference to sewerage,
takes up the subject of utilizing liquid
sewage by using it as fertilizer. While
this is not new idea, such use having
been made OF it for many years in some
European countries, the application is new,
with most readers, and his treatment of
the subject will therefore be of interest.
Cultivated land, says Mr.. Hall, is the
natural, as it is the best, practicable
medium for the publication of the noxious
matters which pollute the waters OF sew
age. Land of suitable soil, properly pre-
pared, with the environments OF locality
and climate favorable, affords, to judicious
use, al the essential conditions under
which the chemical changes necessary for
the publication of sewage waters take
place, Ia the most presentable form for the
purpose, that we can hope to find in
practice.
THE ACTION OF soIL. AND AIR
The immediate object to be held in viewis
to prevent decomposition or arrest fermen-
tation OF the organic matters contained in
the sewage. and thus forestall the develop
ment Of organic germs, or the conditions
under which they may be developed, and
the giving of of foul odors. Moisture TO
saturation being an essential condition to
this procaEs of decomposition or fermenta
ton, and subse quent development, the re-
movsl OF such excessive moisture deprives
the matter of the environment necessary
20 the bsnaful action. The action of the
air upon TIE particles of matter is essen.
tial to the rapid change which it is desired
to produce, and dispersion or separation of
these particles is essential to the free
access Of the air.
In applying sevaye to land the exact
conditions are produced which best admit
of those natural actions the putrescibe
particles are arrested in their course or ad.
here 10 the granules of earth which ab-
sorb the moisture from them, thus arrest
ing decomposition, and hold them subject
TO the action of the air, thus effecting
their oxidation, and finally, vegetation
afterwards assimilates the resultant mat.
ters, and SO the change becomes complete.
RESULT or EXPERIMENTS.
The question OF sewage disposal has at
tracted great deal of attention in Eng.
land, and the conclusion arrived at by such
inquiries has been either unqualifedly in
favor Of irrigation in all cases where pos
sible, or IN all cases where convenient.
| have been unable to find one authori-
tative verdict against it. Differences of
opinion are only in the degree of favor
shown it, as to the necessity of precipitat-
ing the solid matter before using the liquid
on the land, or as to the area Of land
necessary for a fixed amount of sewage,
etc. Individual opinions of civil engineers,
sanitarianH. chemists of high standing, and
town authorities might be quoted by the
chapter, which coincide with them.
BENEFITS DERIVED.
Numerous results and experiments, both
in this country and Europe, are cited by
Mr.. Hall N support of this method, among
which ie the report of the "Select Com
mittee on the Sewage of Towns" ap.
pointed by Parliament in 1862. OF the
points IN It's favor contained in thai report
are these
"Sewsge contains the elements OF every
crop which Is grown"
Sewage contains large amount of !
heat, which in itself is beneficial in stimu.
lsting vegetation.
"a judieieus use of town sewage perma-
nently improves land. E"
Sewage may be applied to common |
grass, Italian rye grass, and also to roots |
and grain crops with great advantage, !
dressings with sewage fastening vegeta-
ton. "
Sewage grown grass has great effect |
in increasing the quantity and richness Of t
the milk OF COWS, as well as improving |
the condition Of the cattle, which prefer |
sewaged grass to all others"
The earth possesses the power Of abb |
sorbing from sewage all the manure which |
it contains, If the dressings in volume are
proportioned to the depth and quality of |
the soil.
"Sewage may be applied with advantage
to every description of soil which is nat.
urallv or artifcially drained.
I" Fresh sewage at the outfall of the !
sewers, even in the hottest weather, is
very slightly offensive; and if applied to
the land in this state in such dressings as !
can at once be absorbed by the earth, fear !
OF nuisance need not be felt as the soil !
possesses the power to deodorize aud sep |
arate from liquids all the manure which |
they contain"
SANITARY INFLUENCE OF SEWAGE FARMS
1t is maintained that lands irrigated
with sewage are not productive of sickness
TO the residents upon them, and authorities
In support are given. Among these, a
committee Of the Royal Agricultural So
ciety Of England, after full investigation
of the entire subject as to the feasibility
of this method of disposing of sewage,
said upon this branch of the question
"With respect to the sanitary aspect of
sewage farming, the above table will show
that the rate of mortality on an average of
the number of years which these farms
have been in operation does not exceed |
; 900 per annum. This is a very low rate,
but in all probability in may not be lower
than would be found in an equal number |
of selected lives taken from an agricultural |
district The results of the sanitary in.
quiry show that sewage farming is not |
detrimental to life or health"
REASONS FOR LACK OF SUCCESS.
Where the use of sewage waters in irri-
CATION has failed to prove an efficient means
of disposing Of them, or of so far purifying
them as to render them as fit to be put into
rivers as the drainage waters from any
highly cultivated, stocked or manured farm
lands, it is asserted upon the highest au-
thority, and generally acceded to, that
such result is due to one or more of five
causes
The quality of sewage applied has been
too great for the land irrigated under the
immediate and surrounding circumstances
The soil of the land has been radically
unsuited for the purpose, or it has not been
properly prepared for such use
The manner of application has been care
less, or from other cause needlessly ineff-