ON THE FOOD OF PLANTS. 151 



To show the fertilising effects of urine, Sir 

 John Sinclair says, " Every sort of urine con- 

 " tains the essential elements of vegetables in a 

 "state of solution. The urine of a horse, being 

 " so much lighter, would be more valuable than 

 " its dung, if both must be conveyed to any dis- 

 " tance. The urine of six cows, or horses, wilt 

 " enrich a quantity of earth, sufficient to top- 

 " dress one English acre of grass land j and as 

 " it would require four pounds worth of dung 

 " to perform the same operation, the urine of a 

 " cow, or horse, is worth about twelve shil- 

 " lings per annum, allowing eight shillings 

 " per acre as the expense of preparing the 

 " compost. The advantages of irrigating grass 

 " lands with cow urine almost exceeds belief. 

 " Mr. Harley, of Glasgow, (who keeps a large 

 " dairy in that town,) by using cow urine, cuts 

 " some small fields of grass six times ; and the 

 " average of each cutting is fifteen inches in 

 " length." 



In concluding this part of my subject, I shall 

 shortly recapitulate my observations. 



any animal confined in it, the same as it had the horses. 1 

 therefore had the floor taken up, relaid, and properly drained; 

 and the walls and ceiling, manger, cribs, &c, washed with 

 quick lime ; and from that time for ten years, I never had a 

 diseased horse. 



L 4 



