St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-03-20
A sewage Farm.
DESCRIPTION OF THE NOVEL METHOD Oh
DIsPosING OF THE PULLMAN SEWAGE.

When the town of Pullman was con-
templated, the disposition of the sew
age was u problem to be solved. There
were two ways in which the matter
could be disposed of but both were
abandoned The first way was to drain
into Lake Michigan or Calumet Lake,
and the second way by precipitation by
chemicals. The pollution of Calumet
Lake it was thought would bring pes
thence to the proposed City of Pull
man and vicinity, and to drain into
Lake Michigan would likely give rise
to trouble between the Pullman Com
panv and the authorities of the village
of Hyde Park, of which Pullman is
part. The precipitating process was
also dismissed on account of the great
expense it would involve. The dispO-
sition of sewage by the underground
distributing process, after the manner
of European farmers, and the delivery
of returns, by crops raised on the land
produced by fertilization was matter
that received careful investigation by
Benezette Williams, c. E., and the
/ Pullman sewage farm owes its exist
ence to these Investigations.
The farm is located three miles south
of the Pullman water tower which con-
meets it with twenty inch cast iron
main, through which the sewage is
forced.
The farm end of the main connects
with IA closed screening tank, and ma
terial which will not pass through a
screen of one and one-half inch mesh
is intercepted. The tank is six feet in
diameter and - feet high, made OF
quarter inch boiler iron. A wagon can
drive under this tank to remove the
intercepted material or it can he re-
moved by means of a blow-otf pipe.
On leaving the tank, the sewage
water passes through pressure valve
which limits the pressure which comes
upon the pipe leading to the field t.
ten pounds This tank and the valves
are housed in so as to prevent freezing
in cold weather.
The main distributing pipe is Il
inches in diameter; from this, fou
lines of pipe, nine inches in diameter
: BIS feet apart, are laid across the field
Every 80 feet on each side of the nint
inch pipe, a hydrant is set, thus giving
one hydrant to each two and hal
acres. In all, about 80 miles of unde
drains and distributing pipes have beef
laid in the 100 acres, including th'
iron main. OF this amount, some q
miles was laid by or under the super
vision of f. T. Martin, the presen
= Superintendent of the firm. The till
pipes are laid in concrete, and in TIN
800 feet of pipe laid, but one defec
tive Joint was found, and that wa
caused by laying it in wet weather.
In the history of sewage farming il
= Europe, there is scarcely an instanc
= where it has paid on the original in
vestment. The general rule being
small debit balance which should b
charged up to taking care of the sew
T. age and the exception being credi
>, balance after paying all the Operatin
expenses.
> On the Pullman farm, in 1888, tn
: first year that crops were raised, fai
= profit was shown on very considers
= bile portion of it. Year by year th
success of sewage farming become
> acquired 10y those having charge of tn
:. farms land this system differs from an
Other) an increased profit will be show
The advantages the Pullman farI
" possesses over ordinary European farm
is the large number of markets
which produce can be shipped. Thel
are four railroads, the Michigan Cer
trail Chicago & Eastern Illinois; Oh
cago, st. Louis & Pittsburg, and Il
Illinois Central, all of which pa
through or near the farm. AS cons
queuce produce can be shipped to Ne
u York or Boston in the East; New o
;" leans and st Louis in the South. Loui
- vile and Cincinnati, Southeast; al
Ny Chicago to the North, while lar,
Is amount is shipped to intermedia
points.
VI 1t is very often the case that son
g article of produce in Chicago will har
ly pay shipping, while in other mar
~ cts it will pay handsome profit {
the shipment.
An English authority on sewage farr
w. ing says that the cabbage was Great
y to thrive on sewage, and so far as {
experience of the Pullman farm II
~ been, nothing takes more kindly, IL
thrives better than cabbage. Next
- cabbage, celery perhaps does the be
Caulifiower has been produced wi
success. and root crops, such as bee
~ parsnips and carrots do well. Potato
do not do well on sewage, and it
=" likely that in the hereafter its GUILTY.
;. ton will be discontinued.
ba The production of crops for the st
son of 1888, was "a follows:
Potatoes. $500 bushel
Onions, 500 -
IL Sweet corn, 1900 doz ga
re Field corn, 400 bushel
Z | Carrots, 100 -