646 



t^ARMERS' REGISTER. 



No. 11 



Of water - - - - 65 



— phosphnie of lime . - - 3 



— muriates of potassa and ammonia - 15 



— sulphate of potassa - . - 6 



— carbonates of potassa, and ammonia - 4 



— urea - - - - - 4 

 The urine of the horse, according to Fourcroy 



and Vauquelin, contains 



Of carbona'e of lime - - - 11 



— carbonate of soda _ - - 9 



— benzoate of soda - - - 24 



— muriate of potassa - - - 9 



— urea - - - »■ - 7 

 ' — water and muciiatre . . . 940 



In addition to these substances, Mr. Brande 

 found in it phosphate of lime.* 



The urine of the ass, the camel, the rabbit, and 

 domestic Ibvvis hai? been submitted to different ex- 

 periment?, and the constitution has been found 

 similar. In the urine of the rabbit, in addition to 

 most of the ini^redients above mentioned, Vau- 

 quelin detected gelatine ; and the same chemist 

 discovered uric acid in the urine of domestic ibvvis. t 



Human urine contains a greater variety of con- 

 stituents than any other species examined. 



Urea, uric acid, and another acid similar to it in 

 nature, called rosacic acid, acetic acid, albumen, 

 gelatme, a resinous matter, and various salts, are 

 found in it. 



The human urine differs in composition accord- 

 iing to the state of the body, and the nature of the 

 ;food and drink made use of. In many cases of 

 rdisease there is a much larger quantity of ixelatine 

 .and albumen than usual in the urine ; and in dia- 

 ft)etes it contains sugar. 



It is probable that the urine of the same animal 

 •must likewise differ according to the dilferent na- 

 rtuie of the Ibod and drink used; and this will ac- 

 -count for discordances in some of the analyses that 

 iiave been published on the subject. 



Urine is very liable to change and to undergo 

 the putrefactive process ; and that of carnivorous 

 ranimals more rapidly than that of graminivorous 

 -animals. In proportion as there is more gelatine 

 -and albumen in urine, so in proportion does it pu- 

 trefy more quickly. 



The species of urine that contain most albumen, 

 igelatine, and urea, are the best as manures ; and 

 all urine contains the essential elements of vege- 

 tables in a state of solution. 



During the putrefaction of urine the greatest 

 ■part of the soluble animal matter that it contains 

 is destroyed ; it should consequently be used as 

 fresh as possible ; but if not mixed with solid mat- 

 ter, it should be diluted with water, as when pure 

 it contains loo large a quantity of animal matter 

 to form a proper fluid nourishment for absorption 

 by the roots of plants. 



Putrid urine abounds in ammoniacal salts ; and 

 though less active than fresh urine, is a very povv- 

 ertial manure. 



* This has not been confirmed by Chevreul. In 

 trials made expressly for the purpose, he was not able 

 to detect phosphate of lime, either in the urine of the 

 horse or of the camel. 



t The urine of the mammalia generally abounds 

 most in urea ; of birds and reptiles, in uric acid : the 

 urine of the frog and toad, however, are exceptions ; 

 their urine is fluid, and not in part solid, like that of birds 

 and reptiles, and contains a large proportion of urea. 

 —J. D. 



According to a recent analysis published by 

 Berzelius, 1000 parts of urine are composed of 



Water - - - - 933 



Urea . - - " " 30.1 



Uric acid . - - - 1 



Muriate of ammonia, free lactic acid, ^ 

 lactate of ammonia, and animal mat- > 17'14 

 ter - - - - ) 



The remainder different salts, phosphates, sul- 

 phates, and muriates. 



Amongst excrementitious solid substances used 

 as manures, one of the most powerful is {he dung 

 of birds that feed on animal food, particularly the 

 dung of sea birds. The guano, which is used to 

 a great extent in South America, and which is the 

 manure that fertilizes the steril plains of Peru, is 

 a production of this kind. It exists abundantly, 

 as we are informed by M. Humboldt, on the small 

 islands in the South Sea, at Chinche, llo, Iza, and 

 Arica. Filly vessels are laden with it annually at 

 Chinche, each of which carries from 1500 to 2000 

 cubical feet. It is used as a manure only in very 

 small quantities ; and particularly for crops of 

 maize. I made some experiments on specimens 

 of guano sent from South America to the Board 

 of Agriculture in 1805. It appeared as a fine 

 brown powder ; it blackened by heat, and gave off 

 strong ammoniacal fumes : treated with nitric 

 acid, it afforded uric acid. In 1806 MM. Four- 

 croy and Vauquelin published an elaborate analy- 

 sis of guano. They state that it contains a fourth 

 part of its weight of uric acid, partly saturated 

 with ammonia, and partly with potassa ; some 

 phosphoric acid combined with the same bases, 

 and likewise with lime, small quantities of sulphate 

 and muriate of potassa, a little fatty matter, and 

 some quartzose sand. 



It is easy to explain itfe fertilizing properties : 

 from its composition it miffht be supposed to be a 

 very powerful manure. It requires water for the 

 solution of its soluble matter, to enable it to pro- 

 duce its full beneficial effect on crops. 



The dung of sea birds has, I believe, never 

 been used as a manure in this country : but it is 

 probable that even the soil of the small islands on 

 our coast much frequented by them would fertilize. 

 Some dung of sea birds brought from a rock on the 

 coast of Merionethshire produced a powerful but 

 transient effect on grass. It was tried, at my re- 

 quest, by Sir Robert Vaughan at Nannau. 



The rains m our climate must tend very much 

 to injure this species of manure, where it is expos- 

 ed to them, soon after its deposition ; but it may 

 probably be found in great perfection in caverns or 

 clefts in rocks, haunted by cormorants and gulls. 

 I examined some recent cormorant's dung which 

 I Ibund on a rock near Cape Lizard in Cornwall. 

 It had not at all the appearance of the guano ; 

 was of a grayish-white color ; had a very foetid 

 smell, like that of putrid animal matter; when 

 acted on by quicklime, it gave abundance of am- 

 monia ; treated with nitric acid, it yielded uric acid. 



Night-soil, it is well known is a very powerful 

 manure, and very liable to decompose. It differs 

 in its composition ; but always abounds in sub- 

 stances composed of carbon, hydrogen, azote, 

 and oxygen. From the analysis of Berzelius, it 

 appears that a part of it is always soluble in wa- 

 ter ; and in w,hatever state it is used, whether re- 

 cent or lerraented, it supplies abundance of food 

 to plants. 



