ANIMAL MANURES. 1 1 5 



165. The quantity of the urine discharged by the do- 

 mestic animals, as well as the relative amount of organic 

 and saline matters contained in it, will, however, like 

 that of man, as has already been mentioned (156), vary 

 according to the quantity and quality of the food consumed, 

 and are also materially affected by the age and condition of 

 the animal. You will be surprised to hear that the quantity 

 of urine voided by an animal is not in proportion to the 

 amount of drink which is taken; thus, it has been found by 

 experiment that the horse, which daily requires several gallons 

 of water for drink, does not annually afford a larger quantity 

 of urine than man, whose daily drink does not exceed a few 

 pints ; the cow also does not, as the following table will show, 

 yield an amount of urine in proportion to the water taken 

 into the stomach. Thus : — 



lbs. 

 Man annually affords 1,000 lbs. of urine, containing of solid matter 67 

 Horse, „ 1,000 „ „ „ 89 



Cow, „ 13,000 „ ;; „ 1,023 



The small quantity of urine voided by the cow and the 

 horse,* compared with the enormous amount of water which 

 these animals consume, is explained by the large amount of 

 fluid which is constantly escaping from their surface in 

 insensible perspiration, and also in the watery vapour which is 

 given out from their lungs in respiration ; while in man only 

 about a tenth part of the liquid taken into the stomach is 

 separated from the skin. If you refer to the table in page 

 114, you will perceive that the urine of the horse contains 

 a larger amount of solid matter than any of the other liquids, 

 and must therefore be capable of exercising a powerful effect 

 upon plants. 



1 66. The chief difference between the urine voided by the 

 domestic animals and man, is in the composition of the in- 

 organic or saline matters which it contains. In the m-ine of 

 the horse and cow, merely a trace of phosphoric acid is found, 

 the inorganic matter which it affords consistuag chiefly of 

 alkaline carbonates (43), sulphates (13), and common salt, 

 while the urine of man and of swine is distinguished by a 

 large amount of the compounds of phosphorus. The effects 



• Boussingault found by experiment that a horse which in 21 houi s 

 drank 35 Iba. of water, gave only three pounds of urine. 



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