The times., 1898-09-18
VALUE OF STREET swEEPINGs.
The Department of Agriculture Pre-


Ihe department of Agriculture Pre-
pnres an Interesting Bulletin.
Few persons who daily walk the streets
and see the sweepers gathering up the
refuse OF a great city know what dispo-
sition Is made of it, or imagine that this
same refuse is worth money to farmers
and others as fertilizer
In many smaller American cities the
sale of street sweepings has been a small
source of revenue for some time, but,
strange 10 relate, in the larger cities
there seems to have been no idea that to
this refuse there is attached a CONNER
cial value. In New York, for example,
the street sweepings are taken out to the
ocean in great scows, and there dumped.
Col. George E. Waring appears to have
never entertained an idea that any other
disposition of the city's street refuse
could be possible. With all of its great
advantages, New York is behind Atlanta,
Ca, in this respect.
The Fertilizing Value of Street Sweep
ings" is the title of Bulletin No 50. L.
vision of Chemistry, now in press and
soon TO be issued by the Department of
Agriculture. The bulletin gives the re-
suit of an investigation of the disposal of
the street sweepings of 204 cities and
towns of the United States made by Err
vim e. Ewell first assistant chemist, un-
der the direction of H. W. Wiley, chief
chemist. The methods of disposal have
been divided into three classes: Utiliza-
ton for fertilization, utilization for filling
low land, and dumping wherever most
convenient, without regard to the value
of the materials
In the first class are included all cities
which succeed in disposing of some por-
ton of their street sweepings for agri-
cultural purposes, including many casese
in which only very small percentage of
the total amount of sweepings is so used
The second class includes all cases in
which no attempt is made TO turn TO ac-
count the fertilizing value of the mate
rial, but in which some part of the mate
rial is used for filling in low land, for
reclaiming marsh land, etc. The third
class includes those cities where the ma
terial Is dumped in streams or other
bodies of water, or on land, without any
systematic attempt at utilization.
The report includes tables showing the
amount of street sweepings collected and
analyses of street and alley sweepings,
etc, collected In this city.
The analytical data is supplemented
with the results of practical tests made
by farmers TO determine the value of
street sweepings as a source of plant
food for field and garden crops, and as
a source OF the humus which is so neces-
sary 10 the mechanical condition of many
soils.
n m
more only five dispose of street sweep
ings for fertilizing purposes; ten use them
for filling marsh or swamp lands seventy
report that street refuse is disposed of in
dumps, rivers or the sea.
The analysis of the street sweepings of
Washington, made by Prof Ewen. shows
that it contains the following ingredients.
Moisture 89,s9; ash, s7.67; organic matter,
IA; total nitrogen. .479;- ammoniacal nitrogen,
..04; phosphoric acid, .452; potash, $40; lime,
ls9l; magnesia. 81 - vg-.r
That these researches open up a new
source of revenue for large cities there
can be no doubt.
From the reports received by Prof
Ewell, the average annual quantity of
street refuse to 1,000 persons proves to
be 1853 tons Estimating the value of the
nitrogen alone at 10 cents per ton, and de-
ducting the actual cost of hauling the
SWeeplngs, II was round that the poorest
sample examined was worth 81 cents per
ton and the richest worth s1.46 a ton.
This falls below the average of several
cities, the refuse from which ranges in
price from so cents to s2 per ton Atlanta
receives only $50 year for its sweepings,
under contract, but the officials intend
that the renewal of the contract will be
made upon a basis of from 40 cents TO 81
per ton, according TO quality.
Placing the population of Washington
at the 100000 mark, and estimating the
value of its street refuse at the lowest
figure quoted, "a cents, the sweepings for
one year would be 81, $50 tons, and its
commercial value SIS 713.