Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-07-22
Editors Letter Box
An Untouched Resource

paper products, due IN part 10 IA
Dor conditions. and in part 10 an
ticipated shortage OF material. So Tar
as shortage of material is concerned
this should give no person Of under
standing any alarm, because there IS
within the United states supply OF
ccl!ulcse tibre Immediately available
for the manufacture Of print paper,
mill board, leather board, wrapping
paper. roof paper aud various analo-
gous products. sufficient to supply All
our Increasing demands without cut
ting another stick of timber for the
next 500 years.
Within the memory of the writer 1t
was considered that wood hbre paper
could only be manufactured from pop
lar wood or willow ~ birch. but in
the last - years spruce, fir, hemlock,
and now even Southern pine is used to
manufacture paper, by the use Of
chemical means to cut or dissolve the
rcsinous element in the wood of con-
niferous trees. Within the next 10
wears there will come another reVolu-
ton in the manufacture OF paper
This is not d prophecy or dream
but "a statement made after very ex-
tensiEe and expensive research on the
part of the writer. The material i'll
question is sphagnum moss. This
moss grows abundantly in Northern
attitudes in the deep woods also in
boys where water supply is constant.
The beds in which Sphagnum moss
grows and develops are often spoken
OF as peat boys and are often covered
with blueberries. In addition to the
vast total area within the United
States the Caribou Barrens" of New
foundland and Labrador will supply
= the world.
: Ia igUu the writer, in cooperation
with the department of Labor and
Commerce, and through the courtesy
of Secretary COrtelyou, made very
complete survey of the United States
for Ih!s material. with view at that
time OF using il as fuel. combined
u nil 10 to a = no
ing plugged together and subsequently
ibriqUetted. This fuel was designed
FOR certain industrial operations and
had A calorifc value slightly under
Il. T. I. Peat as found, contains
about $50 water, which is with diff
Guilty removed by amy methods now in
use except simple drainage and at
peat, which is practically pure ccllu-
lose, has cal0ritc value practically
the same rs poplar. birch OF willow
wood, three woods which are free
mum moss, (Which is often associated
locally with hypnum moss. is the
long hhrcd, soft teathery moss one
encounters in the virgin forests,
Stumps. 1t is essentially Il water
born plant. II goes TO make up the
"Quaking bogs' which for countless
. centuries have been the mandatory
lake surrounded by rich soil is grad
ualiN encroached upon by growth
, 81 mos" ana grasses until the surface
is partially covered. and annually GER
| tan. of the growth dies and settles
SIlEhlly, and the next years crop is
supcr-imposod upon The dead moss
unNI year alter year ana Year aTtel
year the lagoon or basin IS lllied with
partially disintegrated sphagnum
; moss which we call peat" This
peat may lay in beds VARYING in depth
ron one 70 80 rect TT" deeper lay
erS when brought TO the surface pre-
sent the appearance of Indian meal
dough, a sort OF hrownlSh yellow,
SOFT putty-liile mass. This material
Whtn maceratod. stirred or pug2tG
ana subsequently spread out III the
sun dries and cracks. and If little
, car" is exercised III marking il off in
squares as IN don" ~ ireland the size
81 TIC bricks are any thing one wishes
TO G"tcrmine by the marking. 1t in
drNIng contracts about sac IN bulk
and drying out from moisture #
~, down to atmospheric moisture.
: This dependS upon the zone and rela--
tive humidity Of tie atmosphere of
That zone. IN Maine i viii dry down
, to percentage Of 24tt moisture; in
Arizona 1t Wguld dry down - ~.
TINS IS available fuel moisture. This
would be considered dry wood OF
, course W" are rot considering kiln
/ dried material. but atmosphcrically
dried material
bog in Kcnnehcc County, Maine. five
miles long and two miles wide io"k-
p. ing like lake. having high banks and
q lew little islands scattered over It,
This lake or bog is from six to 80
feet deep, and is made up entirely OF
SEhagnum moss in various degrees Of
diSintUgratiOn. While there is no
, flowing water in this lake there is a
, water level which maintains Il CON
= Staucy- Of supply IF water to the
growing plant. Peat made from
Sphagnum moss is quite different
from peat made in more Southern
I ATTITUDES from marsh grass. saw
grass. Savannahs and the moss of the
{ peat beds made up of grasses differ in
, This particular; the grasses all contain
! iaree pcrccntage Of silicon whicH
vary the quantity Of ash i'm the fue'
and Interfere with the chemical
processes concerned in the manmfac
2 lure of various so-caIIed name
y products"
I'm 1900 In, writer chartered 9
1 schooner at Eastnort Maine vant r.
Newfoundland and urt IL a hold load
e of snhagnun, moss neat rrbis -
e taken 10 = ,ancr min in Mar. 49,
, cvn4rin,rutad vim uein,r d;ffornnt
\ i,sinp il entirely fren f,onn III, I'll
nhite fhrn II SbnI,id no rotah -,
rnhapn,,n, macs dont: nnt raoI1ira w.
rhn,nir3i ontion "f .,,Inb,iroG,T. III t,i,
| tn dfcnst r,It tbo raeinnIIs o'.7,;,T az
ie Tl..ea,,. ,i,.,, -. g -
,,,,,I', ,I,o ,,,tit sn, ~ ", ~ !,
t 49, ~ ~ -, Ii =.
"a , ~ tt,I.,, 'tei q ~
n raeinlt,.. n,,,nde, - nv :" ''i'