1846.J Liehig's Patent Manures. 305 



carbon annually in respiration; and if the black cattle all over 

 the earth be in the like proportion to the number of inhabitants, 

 these alone will consume more than 150 millions of tons of the 

 carbon of organic matter in a year (162,500,000). 



The number of sheep in Great Britain is estimated at about 

 forty millions (39,648,000) MaccuUoch. Take the average 

 weight of each at no more than fifty pounds, the w^eight of the 

 whole comes to nearly a million of tons; or, at all events, since 

 in warm-blooded animals the quantity of carbon thrown off by 

 resniration in a year considerably exceeds the weight of the ani- 

 mals, there must be at least a million of tons of the carbon of 

 organic matter converted yearly into carbonic acid by the sheep 

 of Great Britain. 



This should give, for the annual consumption by sheep, over 

 the whole earth, fifty millions of tons of carbon. 



Hogs, rabbits, poultry, &c., in Great Britain can hardly amount 

 to less than half the weight of the sheep, or to half a million of 

 tons. It may be reckoned, then, that such animals over the whole 

 earth consume annually not less than twenty-five millions of tons 

 of carbon — thus: 



Carbon consumed yearly by men 50,000,000 tons. 



« " by horses 75,000,000 



« « by cattle 150,000,000 



« « by sheep 50,000,000 



" « by hogs, poultry, &c. 25,000,000 

 Combustion of wood, being at half the 

 rate at which coal is consumed for do- 

 mestic purposes in Great Britain 425,000,000 



775,000,000 tons. 

 By a reference to the paper it will be seen that many sources 

 of the consumption of the carbon of organic compounds are not 

 taken into account in the above computation; and, in particular, 

 that the consumption by animals in the wild state is not added. 

 It seems not unlikely, then, that instead of 600 millions of tons, 

 at which the annual waste was stated in the text, double that 

 quantity w^ould come nearer the truth. 



LIEBIG'S PATENT MANURES. 



These manures have been patented, on Dr. Liebig's behalf, in 

 the name of Mr. James Muspratt, of Liverpool. 



The object of the invention is to prepare manure in such man- 

 ner as to restore to the land the mineral elements taken away by 



Vol. III., No. II. 22 



