Buchanan County bulletin and guardian. (Independence, Iowa) 1866-1869, 1867-05-17


exist in Buchanan County, and that our farm.
era should be 90 we'll informed of its na.
ture, and Of the manner in which il may be
discovered, that IN exhaustive exploration
may be made during the season, we have
condensed the following information from
the New York Tribune and LcariHs Pea
Journal.-ED. BuLLErIx.l
1t is Of the greatest importance to . very
large number Of American farmers, that they
should learn what peat is, where it is, and
how to utilize it. 1t is important that they
should learn, not only that there is . vas,
natural deposit Of fuel upon their farms, bu,
the value Of peat lands, so - not to parl
with them for trifling consideration. Al.
ready persons who have become acquainted
with the value Of peat fuel, and the quantity
contained in given area Of land, the depth
beirg ascertained, and the art of working il
by machinery, have made purchases of own
ers wholly ignorant Of the value of land,
which had, perhaps, always appeared worth
less, at comparatively worthless price.
WHAT Is PEAT?
True peat, in temperate climates, comes
from the growth Of moses Of the genus
sphagnmm, which have the peculiar faculty
Of continually growing at the top while dy>
ing at the roots, by which basins upon very
elevated ground have been filed to the depth
of 20 or 30 feet. The upper stratum Of such
. peatbed is generally very fibrous, and af.
fords fuel Of such light, spongy character,
that although combustible, is too light to be
serviceable where intense heat is required.
A FIRE Of such peat might be compared to
that of more condensed character, as brush
wood compares with the solid substance OF
tie bole Of the tree.
In some peat beds, 80 long . time has
substance has nearly lost all its fibrous char
acter, and has the appearance simply Of
black mud. Such is often the best peat, and
is good solid fuel without any preparation.
Such peat, which shows few traces Of ibrous
matter, either Of roots, stems or leaves, gen.
orally shows pitchy, shining hue when cut,
and is dense aud fine in the grain when dried.
This is more rpt to be the case in peat de.
posits made from moss than from those
which have been formed from the aquatic
plants, or from parts Of trees, with which peat
bogs are frequently oyergrowu in the course
Of their formation.
Some Of the Oldest peat formations have
become so solid, and the vegetable fiber so
much decomposed, that they acquire the
name of "rock peat," while the upper stra-
tum bears the name Of turf-a name BY
which peat is most generally known in Ire
land.
Although that which is most compact is
the best for use in its natural condition, it
has been found that the peat Of the most e.
brous character, as it appears to the eye, Is
easily reduced in condensing machine. and
produces solid substance for fuel, which is
often better than that worked from peat
which has IN appearance to the uninitiated.
when dug from the swamp, Of much the great
est value, because :" it looks as though It
would burn"
Some specimens Of peat are inseparably
mixed with clay or earthly materials rs to
be almost worthless for fuel. This is the
case where muddy water has frequently over
flowed the peat beds.
Pure peat should not leave more than I
per cent. of ash, and some very good peat
gives only per cent, while that known as
clayey or sandy peat sometimes leaves . re-
siduum Of 40 or 80 per cent.
II is true that nearly all the peat deposits,
particularly Of this country, contain some
earthly matter. Care must, therefore, be ta-
ken in examining locations to be worked for
fuel that the earthly matter Is not in such
excess Is to destroy its value. The best peat
in ito natural state has the consistency Of
butter or lard, rather than that of any veg
etable substance, and when taken from the
bog has greasy feeling, though somewhat
tenacious, and generally as black - mortar
would be, made Of powdered charcoal. Such
peat viii dry into . hard, brittle, highly COM
bustble mass, yielding an immense heat,
with only about per cent. Of ashes.
The true elements of peas are essentially
those of wood or coal - shown BY distila>
tion; for It yields ammonia, acetic acid, tar,
pyroxylic acid, nap,ha, oils and parafiine.
From 60 to 80 parts Of dry peat are destruc-
tible BY FIRE. The residuum is earth, oyide
Of iron, and potash. Peat ashes arc quite -
valuable as wood ashes for fertilizing. The
quantity produced from the best peat is very
small, generally not over three to eight per
cent. But the ashes of those yielding the
largest amount Of ash, even 30 or forty per
cent, arc valuable fertilizers, - burned clay
is often used for that purpose.