the moss. Once delivered, refuse was normally placed in heaps and allowed to dry before being put into the ground. The naturally acidic water was a perfect receptacle for the contents of pail closets, rich in urea and nitrogen. Bacteria quickly broke the refuse down into ammonium compounds and free ammonia, which neutralised the soil's acidity and created ammonium nitrate—an essential fertiliser for arable land. By the 1890s, over 70,000 long tons of excrement annually were being disposed of on the moss. The land was a useful source of income for Manchester; for the year ending 31 March 1900 the estate made a profit of £777 5s 2d (by comparison, the larger Chat Moss made £2,591 13s 4d). Its success helped persuade Manchester Corporation to purchase 2,583 acres of nearby Chat Moss in 1895. By 1897, 37,082 long tons of nightsoil, 587 long tons of sweepings and litter and 11,673 long tons of cinders were being sent to Carrington. Various crops were grown on the land, including wheat, oats, potatoes and carrots. A variety of ornamental shrubs, including rhododendrons, were grown in a nursery and used in the parks and gardens of Manchester. 20th century By the 1930s, extensive use of the water closet meant that the amount of night soil being delivered to Carrington Moss had dropped significantly. During this period, the majority of refuse placed on the Moss came from ash bins, although some was from slaughterhouses and lairage facilities. In 1923, manure of only moderate value was being delivered, supplemented by sulphate of potash, sulphate of ammonia, and super-phosphates. Altrincham Sewage Farm (visible on the above map) was used to flood the surrounding fields with sewage water. To the west, a series of disused marl-pits formed Timperley Sewage Beds, a further source of manure. Carrington Wharf had fallen out of use by 1934 and with the advent of the Second World War, five miles (8 km) of railway were lifted and all the waggons scrapped. At the Ministry of Supply's request, much of the infrastructure supporting both Carrington Moss and Chat Moss was sold. The sidings at Carrington continued to be used by the CLC for waggon storage, but Carrington Wharf was subsumed in 1946 by the construction of Carrington Power Station. During the war, the moss became one of four sites in Manchester used as a Starfish site—decoy targets for enemy aircraft. Operational control was the