The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1922-10-12
Scientists Tell How to
Meet the Coal Shortage
Peat in Abundance Can be Found in
Many Parts of Minnesota and
the Northwest

| Minnesota farmers and small town
residents need not worry about the
threatened coal shortage They ccn
provide themselves with a winter
supply of fuel without going far
afe d-fuel about equal to air-dried
wood, if the threatened coal shortage
should become reality, and if they
act at once. That is the cheering
word which comes from w. R. Apple
by. director of the Minnesota Mines
Experiment Station, and Prof. Peer
Christianson, former president of the
American Peat Society, roth of the
University of Minnesota.
Professor Appleby and Professor
Christensen not only announce the
foregoing fact, but they have issued
a statement telling farmers and
others just how to go about provid.
ing winters supply of fuel from
nearby peat lands such IS are scat
tered all over the state. The gist of
this statement follows:
The sloughs, boys, and marshes Of
Minnesota contain a brown To black
fibrous soil known as peat. This
usually varies in thickness from the
edge to the center of the bog. AS g
rule It is thicker and of better quail
ity, though near the bottom it is US
ually mixed with sand and clay and i?
not so good.
Boys that have been drained for the
purpose Of improving adjacent lands
for farming offer the most satisfac-
tory sources for mining peat.
The-~sinple method is to select a
place on a drained bog where the peat
is at least four feet thick.
With sharp fiat ditching spade
dig down as far as practicable. Pre-
pare a bank-like face from which
blocks of the peat may be cut with
ease-blocks slightly larger than the
ordinary building brick. An old
fashioned hay knife, such as is used
for cutting stacked hay is a good
implement for making the vertical, or
up-and-down, cuts. The horizontal
cuts may be made with a sharp-edged
ditching spade. >.
The bricks should be stood on edge,
with air spaces between and allowed
to dry. After they have dried in part
they should be stood on end for fur
Their drying.
If the peat is not fibrous, as may
he the case we'll below the surface,
and crumbles too easily for handling,
It may be mixed with water, knead-
ed into the consistency Of ordinary
mortar and then spread out on the
smooth surface of the bog to depth
of about four inches and allowed t.
drain. After it has drained off, i,
may be cut into bricks, to be handled
as the bricks of more fibrous peat.
A peat fire is started as a coal ire
is started. When thoroughly dried,
peat burns with comparatively
short flame, and if the draft is closed
after the peat is well ignited the fire
will last much longer than a cores
popnding wood or coal fire. Peat has
about the same heat value, weight
for weight, as air-dried wood.
With a moderate draft peat will
produce an intensely hot fire such as
is suitable for all kinds of domestic
and power purposes.
There is still time to prepare fuel
from peat for the coming winter.
The Mines Experiment Station will
be glad to make analysis and render
all assistance possible, free of
charge, to any who may be interested
in drawing on the states peat sup:
plies for their winters fuel. Any
such persons are requested to address
Mines Experiment Station, Universe
ty of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Mimi.