Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1866-12-08

nOW0,
The subject Of peat may not be . very
interesting ono to the general reader, but
Il 10 one Of vast Importance 70 the people
OF Iowa, and especially 10 those in the north.
e-n portion Of the State where the article
is believed to exist in large quantities on
and near the headwa,ers Of the Iowa and
Dss Moincs. DR.. White, our State geolo-
eist, We are glad to know, is devoting =
god share Of attention to this subject
among others, and Ne doubt not his invss-
hgstions will develope facts which will be
highly beneficial TO the people ofthe state.
Tho great drawback 10 the settlement Of
. r-si.iesia.c like Iowa, where many miles
. ten intervene without any timber at oil,
mas cscn the vsnt Of fuel ed thal will
continue u operate against the rapid settle.
msot Of the State and in fact oil the prai
~ .uutry. until science shaii discover .
remedy. The artificial growth Of timber
has been resorted to. bat Il 10 Usual Ssr
protection only, and not for fuel. Peat and
sod. hevsvsr oGsr The rssdisst solution Of
the difficulty. and for that reason oil infor.
nation upon these subject. and especially
upon the former. which promises TO b. At
eoes msds pssetisabls. cannot bat b Of val.
ue. Dr.. White writes . letter upon the
subject, which we appsnd:
concerning tho riginal peat. there is
at the present day almost no difference Of
opinion. Il b The result Of pastial decom-
position Of vegetable matter under water
which condition arrested the decomposi-
ton at . certain stage. Wherever . pond
has existed. rank grass and plants have
grown upon ~ bosdoss, and the frest Of
each returning November laid them be-
meath the surfsse -theie somminuted frag-
imcnts narrowing the area and 1essening
tbedsoo Of The watees until 4 beea0e the
proper habitat Of peculiar moss which con.
linued to flourish luxuriantly upon the rap.
id accompanying bodies Of IL parent stems,
until the pod bseo0s Oiled TO IL bsim
Nith IT, 0boaacoous mattsr thus produced,
resembling in appearance, soft black mud ;
the upper portion being usually thickly in.
terlaced with fi6sous roots. Peat con nevcr
b found where there have been no ponds,
end 10 MT likely to exist IL large quantity
10 VII dgsioed seRioos.
sWhen the continent was first raised
from the Diluvial ~, tho surface Of thol
portion Of il which 10 now our State Was not
SO uneven - it now il. but shallow dcprcs,
sions only existed which gave initial direc
ton 10 the streams. The rains and f.osts oil
the unnumbered years which have passed
Gacs Ahss. have wosa lAeir channels deepes
and deeper. causing the deepening also Of
their tributaries, as we'll 40 Of tho multitude
Of snall dspsessi0ns and ravincs which lead
into them. Thus. wherever the streams are
ounorona md their valleys deep, the coun.
try il perfectly drained, and consequently
no ponds are foued. But in region where
many streams have their rise, esch depres.
sion in The surface would become . pond
beoatse no aceomuletion Of waters beyond
sends current scr0ss il TO form . channel
for its oStlse. The southern portions oil
Iowa presents an excellent example Of Z
we'll drained region, and part Of the north
csn postiso of TIE State, near the heed va
ters OF its streams. possesses that character
| III autiacs upon which we may expect "a
find deposits Of peat. In some parts of the
world this substance forms the chief article
u iucl, and the principal reason why ito uss
has been heretofore discarded for that pur-
pose in regions favored with wood and coal
has been want Of knowledge Of . proper
method Of preparing it for convenient use.
This is now accomplished so ctlectually that
in the eastern States peat is coming into
succc ssstl compst;tioa with coal and zinc 9
y contains no sulphur, % bituminous coal
Usually does, Il is considered superior 10
tat fuea fss many purposes. Many ma
c mes have been constructed for its prepar.
alton, some Of which have failed to perform
Inc work in the manner desired. The only
one Of these which has been brought defin-
itciy to my notice, and probably the most
succesaful enc yet eoasAsucacd, u manufac-
turcd by uessfA lSavstt Z Hunnewell, ol
Boston. Mass
The scarcity Of timber ia some Of the
counties Of the northern part OF the State,
and the imIrobability Of finding coal there,
makes the discovssy Of peat . subject Of the
greatest importance. In view OF these facts
| have sent my assistant. Mr.. Childs, to the
counties Of Franklin, Wright. Cerro 0ordo,
Hancock, Worth and Winr ebsgo, with in.
structioas % examine then for the purpose
Of ascertaining the extent and character Of
such deposits there. Peat will doubtless be
found in many other parts Of the State
wherever the peculiar conditions Of it, form
alton have existed, but considering their
position In relation TO the streams Of the
State, the counties named aeem ~ present
the best field for present Investigations Of
this kind"