220 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



We have elsewhere endeavored to show, ihat 

 al! excrement partakes of the nature of the food ; 

 that if (bod, consisting almost wholly of niirosen, 

 is consumed, that such excrement will principally 

 consist of the nitroi^en not required to supply 

 the waste of the body. Thnt if lood principally 

 consisis of subsiances in which carbon predomi- 

 nates, that the matter voided as excrement nei- 

 ther is nor can be so rich in nitrogen as in 

 the preceding case : the rule holds good through- 

 out all creation; and therefore, as man is a car- 

 nivorous animal, and lives in great measure on 

 the flesh of animals, a substance almost entirely 

 composed of niirogen, human urine is much 

 richer in this substance, nitrogen, than in animals 

 living exclusively on vegetables. The analysis of 

 these matters accordingly proves that human 

 urine contains /bur times more fertilizing matter 

 than the urine of horses, cows, and sheep. 



In all the remarks then that follow, we must be 

 considered as speaking of human urine ; but the 

 eame arguments will apply to the urine of all ani- 

 mals, only in lesser proportion. 



And it must be again repeated that the liquid 

 excrement of all animals is infinitely to be pre- 

 ferred as a fertilizer to the solid excrement, the 

 urine in all cases containing all the soluble salts 

 which are thrown off from the body as waste 

 matter; such as the ammoniacal salts, the phos- 

 phates or soda, potash, and magnesia, the sub- 

 Blancea which are now recognized as constituting 

 the ingredients of all kinds of grain, and which 

 are essential both to their growth and develope- 

 ment, and for supplying the nutritive matter of 

 the grain. 



Berzelius gives, as the contents of one thou- 

 sand parts of human urine in his elaborate ana- 

 lysis of the fluids, 



Parts. 



Urea 30 



Lactate of ammonia and animal matter 17| 



Uric acid 1 



Sulphate of potash - - - - 3| 



Sulphate of soda - - - - 3| 



Phosphate of soda - - - - 3 



Phosphate of ammonia - - - 1| 



Chloride of sodium - - - - 4^ 



Muriate of ammonia - - - ^h 



Phosphate of magnesia and lime - l" 



Water, mucus, and silex - - - 933 



" If from the above analysis, we take the urea, 

 lactate of ammonia, uric ac'd, the phosphate and 

 muriate of ammonia, one per cent, ol" solid matter 

 remains, consisting of ammoniacal salts, which 

 must possess the same action, whether they are 

 brought on a field dissolved in water or urine," 

 Hence the powerful influence of urine must con- 

 sist in its ammoniacal salts. Now, when urine is 

 allowed spontaneously to putrely, one portion of 

 the ammonia unites with the lactic acid to form 

 lactate of ammonia, and another becomes volatile 

 in the state of carbonate of ammonia. 



The formation'of this carbonate of ammonia en 

 tirely alters the state of the urine, rendering it an 

 alkali, instead of an acid, which it is in its natural 

 Btate ; and this explains why putrefied urine is to 

 be preferred as a manure to urine in its Iresh state. 

 Now the great object is to fix this carbonate of 

 ammonia, or at all events the ammonia, in the 

 soil. 



If the urine is applied as a manure in this state, 



that is, with the lactate and carbonate of am- 

 monia in solution ; the latter salt, from being vo- 

 laiile, will evaporate with the watery parts of the 

 fluid ; and the loss which would accrue from this 

 mode of using it, would amount to nearly one-half 

 of the weight of the urine employed. So that, if by 

 any means we can fix the ammonia, that is, de- 

 prive it of ils power to fly otf' with the evapora- 

 tion of the watery parts of the urine, we shall in- 

 crease ils action twolold. This object may be 

 eflected in a variety of ways. If a field is strewed 

 with Iresh burnt gypsum (sulphate of lime) and 

 then the putrefied urine be applied on its surface, 

 the gypsum will absorb and decompose the carbo- 

 nate ot ammonia, and the carbonic acid gas thus 

 disengaged, will unite with the lime to lorm car- 

 bonate of lime, and the sulphuric acid of the lime 

 will unite vvuh the ammonia to Ibrm sulphate of 

 ammonia and this salt will remain in the soil and 

 not be volatili:;ed. 



But a simpler way still is to mix the gypsum 

 with the putrefied urme, and thus efl'ect the double 

 decomposition above described belbre distributing 

 it on the soil. 



The quantity necessary will of course depend on 

 the quantity of carbonate of ammonia the urine 

 may contain, and this not only varies with every 

 stage of puireliiction, but depends also on the way 

 in which it has been kept ; and again on tlie qua- 

 lity of the urine itsell^ no very definite quantity 

 Iherelbre can be named. But an easy way of 

 knowing how much gypsum to put to a certain 

 quantity of urine is to add it constantly at inter- 

 vals of a liivv hours (taking care to stir the mix- 

 ture well occasionally) as long as any volatile 

 smell, similar to hartshorn, escapes, the absence 

 of which will be a sure test that the ammonia 

 has lost its volatile property, and has become, to 

 use a chemical and expressive term, fixed. 



Chloride of lime may be used for tlie like pur- 

 pose, but being more expensive than the gypsum, 

 it would not of course be resorted to. 



Dried peat, tanners' bark, sawdust, turf and 

 other similar substances, may be also used for this 

 purpose, but the gypsum is decidedly preferable. 



Sulphuric acid, '.he oil of vitriol of commerce, 

 may also be advantageously used io fix this salt, 

 and to do so, nothing more is necessary than to 

 mix a sufficient quantity of this acid with the 

 putrefied urine, until almost all efl'ervescence 

 ceases, keeping it well stirred during the whole of 

 the time, and taking care not to add an excess of 

 acid. In this case the ammonia unites at once 

 with the sulphuric acid, to form the sulphate of 

 ammonia ; and the carbon being disengaged, es- 

 capes in the state of a gas. 



Oiher means might be used to effect the same 

 results as we have here demonstrated ; but it ia 

 needless to specify them, as those we have alrea- 

 dy detailed combine great facility as well as ex- 

 treme cheapness. 



Having thus specified tlie change that takes 

 place in the state of urine, the best manner for 

 converting the ammonia for the purpose of agri- 

 culture, we shall suggest the best means of prac- 

 tically using this manure on a (arm. 



The first thing necessary is to procure a supply 

 of ur^e. But if due care is used to save all that 

 is now wasted, no farm need be in want of it. 



The supply being obtained, it should be placed 

 in large casks or tanks under cover, until the vo- 



