URINE. 



fince examined this fluid, thought he difcovered in it traces 

 of uric acid. 



The urine of the beaver has been examined by Vauquclin. 

 It bears a ftron£r refemblance to the urine of herbivorous 

 animals in general. It contains carbonate of hme, held in 

 folution by excefs of carbonic acid ; alfo benzoic and acetic 

 acids, urea, muriate of foda, and fulphate of potafh, but 

 no uric acid nor phofphates. It contains, liowcver, muriate 

 of ammonia, and carbonate and acetate of magnefia, accord- 

 ing to tUe fame chemift, though we think the exiftence of the 

 laft principle is doubtful. The fpecimen examined by Vau- 

 quelin alfo afforded diltinft traces of the colouring prin- 

 ciple of the willow bark, on which this animal feeds. 



The urine of the rabbil has been examined by the fame 

 chemift, who found this, as well as the urine of the guinea 

 pig, to refemble very clofely the urines of the herbivorous 

 quadrupeds above defcribed. 



The fame indefatigable chemift alfo, affifted by Four- 

 croy, has examined the urine of domejiic foiuh , in which they 

 found uric acid, a faft which has been confirmed by fuc- 

 ceeding chemifts. They alfo found the fame acid in great 

 abundance in the excremtnts of a South-fea bird, called 

 guaito. 



Laftly, Dr. Prout has given the following analyfis of the 

 excrements, or urine, of the boa conjirldor. One hundred 

 parts were found to confift of 



Uric acid 90.16 



Potalh 3.45 



Ammonia ....... i.yo 



Sulphate of potafh, with a trace of muriate of foda .95 

 Phofphate of lime ..... T 



Carbonate of lime ..... J. .80 



Magnefia J 



Animal matter, conCfting of mucus, and a little' 

 colouring matter ..... 



2.94 



The uric acid, in this inftance, was in combination with 

 the potafh and ammonia, and was eafily obtained in a per- 

 feftly pure ftatc by the ufual proceffes. 



Hence it appears that the urine of quadrupeds agrees with 

 the human urine, in containing urea ; but materially differs 

 from it, in being without phofplioric or uric acid, and in 

 containing an excefs of carbonic acid : while the urines of 

 birds and ferpents feem to cont.iin an excefs of uric acid, and 

 a deficiency of the other ingredients exilting in the human 

 urine. 



Urine, in Agrkullure, the faline fluid fccreted from the 

 blood of animals by the kidneys, and difcharged by the canal 

 of the urethra, which is highly ufeful as manure in different 

 cafes, in promoting vegetation, and incrcafing the fertihty 

 of land. It is, indeed, in this laft way, of great ufe, in 

 improving moil forts of foil. Bcfides its value in other in- 

 tentions too, Cohimella has afferted, that old urine is excel- 

 lent when applied to the roots of trees. Hartlib alfo has 

 much commended the Dutch for preferving the urine of 

 cows as carefully as they do the dung, for enriching their 

 lands. 



This is therefore a fluid which is capable of being cm- 

 ployed with great fuccefs and benefit both on meadow 

 and on arable land, and which affords uncommon fertihty 

 and improvement to both in many cafes. In the former 

 cafe, the beft time for fprinkling or applying the liquid over 

 the land, is fnppofed by fome to be during tlie winter 

 months, when the rains will have the moft power in wafhing 



the fertilizing parts of it into the foil ; or, the land may be 

 fpriiikled over with it, early in the fpring, juft before it is 

 laid or fhut up for hay ; becaufe no cattle will touch the 

 grafs fo long as the faline matters adhere to the blades 

 of it. Another circumftance which is neceffary to be at- 

 tended to in fuch cafes, in order to make the moil of this 

 very valuable fluid manure, is, that it be carried out to the 

 meadow and pafture-grounds that are intended to be dreffed 

 with it, in a dry time, as the urine and farm-yard Liquor in 

 the refervoirs is at fuch periods the moft ftrongly impreg- 

 nated with faline and other matters, as may be known by 

 the deep brown or biackilh colour that is prefent. All 

 fuch refervoirs or ponds, as are appropriated for the recep- 

 tion of it, (hould conitantly be kept, in fome meafure, in a 

 ftate of readinefs for the purpofe, at fuch feafons ; and the 

 lands may be fprinkled or moillened as often as occafion 

 may render it neceffary or proper. 



The praftice of moft modern farmers in refpeft to pre- 

 ferving urine is, it is faid, as oppofite as poffible ; for they 

 not only fuffer that of their cattle to flow away, but have 

 generally their dung-heaps fo fituated that they are drenched 

 and impoverifhed by rain, which conveys their moft valuable 

 ingredients into the next river. The more heavy and cum- 

 berfome materials, which the water can neither diffolve nor 

 fweep away, are frequently, it is faid, alone referved, 

 to be bellowed, at a great expence, on the defrauded 

 land. 



It is conceived by a writer in the fourth volume of Com. 

 munications to the Board of Agriculture, that the quantity 

 of moft valuable manure which may thus be carried away, 

 is much greater than is perhaps imagined. Lately, the 

 writer obtained more than half an ounce of a dry fetid 

 fubftance from one quart of human urine. Suppofing the 

 urine of cattle, it is faid, to be equally produAive, every 

 hogfhead of it which flows out of a farm-yard, without 

 even any impregnation from the dung-heap, carries away 

 feven and a half pounds of folid matter. This (hould in- 

 duce farmers in all cafes to walle hquors of this fort as bttle 

 as poffible, and to convert them as much as can be to the 

 improvement of land, and earthy fubftances as manure, for 

 applying upon it. 



It is remarked that urine is very liable to change, and to 

 undergo the putrefadlive procefs ; and that that of car- 

 nivorous animals does it more rapidly than that of the grami- 

 nivorous kind. That in proportion as there is more gela- 

 tine and albumen in urine, fo in proportion does it putrefy 

 more quickly. That the forts of urine that contain moil 

 albumen, gelatine, and urea, arc the beft as manures ; and 

 that all urine contains the effential elements of vegetables in 

 a Hate of folution. That as during the putrcfaflion of urine, 

 the greateft part of the foluble animal matter that it contains 

 is deftroyed, it fliould, of courfe, it is faid, be ufed as frefh 

 as poffible ; but that if not mixed with folid matter, it 

 fliould be diluted with water, as when pure it contains too 

 large a quantity of animal matter to form a proper fluid 

 nonrifhment for abforption by the roots of plants. The 

 ancients had, however, a notion of ufing urine ftalc : but of 

 mixing it with rich earthy matters, which is probably the 

 beft and moft economical mode of applying it, they had, it 

 would feem, no idea. 



Putrid urine, it is faid, abounds in ammoniacal falls ; and 

 that though lefs aftive than frcfli urine, is a very powerful 

 manure. 



In fome northern diftrifts very great improtcment is pro- 

 duced on grafs land by the application of urine and dung- 

 liquor in the beginning of the autumn, as about November. 

 The fluid is conveyed and applied to the land by means of 



a rum- 



