The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-09-03
PEAT.
How 1t Is Gathered for Fuel In Peat
Bearing Countries.

How 1t Is Gathered Tor Fuel In Pcat
Bearing Countries.
The gathering of the peat harvest in
many parts of Ireland and Scotland is
matter of much Importance to the in
habitants. wet season seriously inter
fering with the necessary operations.
The cutting commences early in the
season as soon as the winter and spring
rains have drained from off the surface.
In Ireland long. narrow slip measur-
ing from three to six feet across is
cleared to the depth of foot or so of
the light, spongy peat and heather
which form the surface. Extending
back from this a certain space of sur
face, called in some districts swarth,
is leveled and prepared for the reception
of the blocks of peat which as they
are cut are spread closely upon it to
dry. The peat or tuft. as it is
almost invariably called in that country
is cut into narrow rectangular blocks
from one foot to eighteen inches
in length. The implement used
in cutting, called slane, somewhat
resembles a spade, with fiat piece of
steel attached to the bottom ut the
right side. and turned up at right
angles The blocks are cut from the
mass with downward thrust of the
implement, the arms alone being used.
without the assistance OF the foot, as IN
an ordinary spade. After the blocks
have lam for sometime, and the sides
and upper surfaces have dried some
what, they are turned and then placed
on end in small stacks, which are piled
together in larger heaps after the drying
process has advanced. The work of
cutting. turning, and stacking the peat
is not such an unpleasant occupation
as might be supposed. 1t is cleanly
work enough. There is no need to
handle the peat in a wet state, though
even then it does not stain or stick to
the hand or person, and has no un-
pleasant smell. When it has dried
somewhat it is light, clean, and easy to
handle |: is unusual to cut the peat
down to the level of soil beneath; the
produce OF the lower layers. although
I most valuable as fuel, drying
into hard and brittle fragments,
which do not bear handling
or removal. When the upper
matter becomes exhausted the re-
mainder is sometimes dug out. mixed
with water, and kneaded with the
hands and feet. 1t is then cut into
square blocks and dried in the ordinary
WAY. The peat bogs of Ireland ought
to be a source of cons derable profit to
that country, and but for the low heat
ing power of peat, which renders it
ul1it for use as fuel for manufacturing
purposes, they would have, no doubt,
long ago led to the development in that
country of industrial and manufacturing
ACTIVITY similar on a small scale to that
produced by coal in England. TO RENE
dy this defect in peat as a fuel various
processes have been tried for compress
ing it. 50 as to get rid of the large
percentage of water always present III
the best dried samples. These expert
ments have not, up to the present, met
with any great success when tried Oh q
large scale. Well-dried peat contains
as much as twenty per cent of water.
| and even when most of it is expelled,
unless the peat is rendered compact and
waterproof by some process, its spongy
texture causes it TO reabsOrb a large
proportion of moisture from the atmos-
| pherc.-N. y. Times.