Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1905-12-30
MINNESOTA HAS
ACRES OF PEAT
BUT IT'S FUEL QUALITIES HAVE
NOT BEEN TESTED.
Prof. c. w. Hall of State Univer-
sity Says Glaciers Stayed Too
Late to Give the peat Beds a
Fair Chance-=Files an Interesting
Report With the Governor.

Il 4
Minnesota has millions of tons Of
peat, but it is unexplored, difficult te
mine, and it is uncertain whether al
of it will make good fuel. That is
the summary of report which Prof
c. W, Hall of the state university
has made to the governor. Last
spring number of queries regarding
peat in the state were received by
the governor from prospective invest
ors and others. Gov, johnson REFER.
ed the queries to Prof. Hall for infor-
nation. Prof Hall went into an
extensive investigation by means OF
questi ms to the county surveyors
and reports of biologists, and yester-
day sent to the governor a detailed
report of his findings
In his summary Prof. Hall says:
while the amount of peat in the
state amounts to many million tons,
the scattered condition of the depos-
it's makes the difficulty of mining
considerably greater than in localities
where thick beds and large swamps
or beds occur.
minnesota is Peat Young.
Minnesota IS peat young. Owing
to the lateness of the glacial epoch
i'll retreating from the state, the ac-
cumulations of peat hogan only few
years ago. The shortness of the
growing season in this latitude also
makes slowness of peat formation.
Cali the peat lies in boys in shall
low lake areas where the obiiteration
of the lake is proceeding or has been
accomplished in recent years.
There has been very little expert
mentation to show the fuel value of
the peat, Some shows too large
percentage of ash, but this may not
be the case in all portions.
"The growing interest in che peat
supply of the state suggests the
Importance of further exploration to
determine the quantity Of peat in the
state
Little Interest in Peat
Prof. Hall says there appears 10 be
little interest in peat, in fact less than
there was thirty years ago. Other
fuel is cheap and more convenient.
In the portions where there are no
forests the railroads bring in fuel
cheaply, so that there is little de-
man6 for the peat. In many places
where peat was mined thirty years
ago, when there were either no rail
roads or else prohibitive freight rates
on coal, none is mined at present.
The recent application of mechanical
methods to the preparation of peat !
has aroused new interest.
He divides the state into five sec
tons, the northwestern, northeastern,
central, southeastern and southwest
ern. In the northwestern, especially
in the Red river valley, conditions
were never favorable fer the forma-
ton of peat. The glacial lake Agas
siz was drained only 5000 years ago
which is too short a tinne for the for
nation of peat. Some deposits are
found two or three feet thick, but are
not old enough to make the best fuel.
The deposits are usually covered with |
several feet Of soil,
Peat in Ramsey County.
In the northeastern portion depos
its are found a foot or less below the
surface, and areas are found from two
to four feet thick. In the central
district peat is found in Anoka, Hen
nepin and Ramsey counties. Nicollet
county, which IS within the great
bend of che Minnesota river, has
many slonghs with decaying Vege.
table matter, and the surveyor re ].
ports that it burns freely and with !,
great heat.
In the southeastern section, Dako-
"a, Faribault, Freeborn, Goodhue
md Mower counties report that they
burned peat before the railroads :
,ame. Faribault county has 1,2003 !
cres three feet thick LIE Sueur re- :
ports deposits in every township two :
o seven feet thick, with an aggregate !,
{ 5000 acres. In the southwestern "
section much of the. peat tested IS !.
ound to contain % to 48 per cent of :
sh, which is too high for good re- !
ults. Cottonwood county reports
eposits several feet thick and near