The Red Cloud chief., 1880-02-26
The lee Of Peat for Tusi.

Peat when free from szni MAKES a
very good fuel. gtVlug oat grust hrAt.
and when covered Nth aches rvtAinsac
a slow combustion fer a bong time In
burning. it cm.ts a swe-iss.nt~d smok.
which : very pleasant a. i l. b'rue ~
thu hrrrxc Ia the passing traVclrr. L.
Only fault j. hat The ashes arc light ansi
arc easily waited by \ very light draft
II air from the fireplace Into The rssm
Hut What lsthvr- "a ali the useful th.ags
which nature has provided a. Wiih that
has not some draw back in the using oi
tip Efforts have byyu made e. utilize
peat for fuel Ia this COUNTRY for the pur-
poses ut smelling iron and firing gn.
der locomotive. boiler bat while uv
nave c'al and wood -, cheap and read
lis available, the vas, pssls II peat which
exist will probably rrmain dormant
except for private household Use. The
peat for III" purposes above mentioned
VA compressed by powerful machinery
into hard. solid masses not unlike the
W. Va. spiint coal. or the brown coal
known n. the Ignite which - common
in the far Northwest. But peat may he
prepared fprf1cl with very little trouhio.
In ireland, Scotland. Walcs and parts
If England, where there art extensive
bUgs or peat swamps. the peat i cat ont
in systematic but very simple fashion a.
follows; The moss and sedgrs. with
the upper layer ~ the peat. arr r.
moved by sharp edged spades. when the
brown, hbrous peat, which alone j. used
for fuel. i laid bare. Thi. j. ca on,
into blocks about nine inches hong. si,
wide aud six inches thick. with u tool
called n skean. This i Ike a spadc with
u%pturnc,l sides. aud all the cdgc- ground
sharp. A. the tool j. thrust down into
the peat. IL cuts out q block II the size
above mentioned. These are pilcsl up
ia ~perpcndicular ranks, like those 81
bricks in n brick-ysri. Ia dry. In dry
ing, they shrink Ia abon, two inches In
thickness and somewhat; less IA length
and width than when first at. These
blocks. or '.turis," ~ they are called.
when dry form the only fuel 81 thousands
Of persons who live on the poor and
small traris II land mot to be called
farms) that We are now reading 40
much about IN connection with the dis
tress in ireland. They are alsp peidlcd
about the streets of large town. aud
adjacent Ia tracts 81 peat and bog.
and are used there for summer fuel IN
wealthy homes and Ia make an agreca.
and cheerful IRE on chilly summer
evenings. a. they are kindlcd readily
and give a fierce, glowing heat while
burning.
There are thousands 81 aorrs of use.
ful peat in thousand. II localities in
America. which might be- mad. very
valuable as fuel. In the prairie regions
peat is plentiful. and A. one goes further
north into the t~rccless regions 81 the
North Pacific Railroad. there are single
peat swamps II hundreds 81 acr.s which
have millions 81 tons Of pea, In them.
The best peat lies deep in the swamp.
the upper layer. which has turned
black and pasty by decomposition. II
i tho fibrous. brown matter tina, makes
the best fuel. ~ IL L. tough and bears
and handling and does no, melt
Down, ~ IN speak. into powder. as the
black upper layer does. Once peat be.
dry IL j. practically i~ndcziructi-
bic. and IL left in a heap soon dscouu-
poses and breaks down 40 that in dry
the blocks. IL j. necessary that they
De piled with wide open Ioints between
hem and the pile made not over two
wide. 50 a. TO give free passage In
he air. The pile j. also covered wfih
he coarse weeds - the wamp Ia she'd
Lastly. fros. l. the great disin-
egrator. and pea, for fuel should be- cut
MY in the summer time; IL cut tn the
the frost would soon reduce Il 10
'owdsr.-Prof. r. St.rarf. ig BHrz
seu Y0rker.