428 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. [Dec. 



report by liim on the working of peat ; and also in part from a 

 recent paper by Mr. C. Hodgson, read before the Institution of 

 Civil Engineers of Ireland. 



From this, it will be seen that in cutting out and removing the 

 peat from the bog, it becomes necessary to transport about nine 

 tons of water for each ton of real fuel. So long as a turf-cutter 

 works along the edge of the bog, or of one of the main drains, he 

 can spread the material as he cuts it ; but when large quantities 

 are wanted, additional laborers are required to carry the peat, with 

 its great weight of contained water, to a proper place for spreading 

 and drying. From the slowness of this process of air- and sun- 

 drying, moreover, a given district can only produce a small amount 

 of dried peat annually. The consequence is, that, although peat 

 prepared in the ordinary way is a cheap domestic fuel, and is sold 

 at a moderate price, it is found that as soon as the consumption 

 increases in a district, the price increases, and that it is impossible 

 to augment the supply beyond a certain limit. The Irish Peat 

 Company, who a few years since constructed works near Athy, for 

 distilling peat at the rate of fifty tons daily, had counted upon 

 obtaining this supply at from 2s. 6d. to 3s. the ton ; but it was 

 found that before they had secured the quantity necessary for 

 carrying on their works successfully, the price of peat increased to 

 5s., and ultimately to 6s. 6d., and 7s., sterling the ton. This 

 increase, together, as we are told, with the impossibility of obtain- 

 ing, at any reasonable price, a much larger supply, were among 

 the causes of the failure of the enterprise. 



It is obvious, then, that in order to extend the use of peat, 

 either as a combustible, or as a material for distillation, it becomes 

 necessary to introduce great improvements into its manufacture^ 

 which will make it possible to free it as rapidly and as completely 

 as possible from the water which it contains. It is also desirable 

 to reduce its volume, for the convenience of transportation ; and 

 to give it a solidity and tenacity approaching to coal, which will 

 allow it to be used in ordinary grates and furnaces, and to bear a 

 strong blast. For this purpose, many plans have been proposed ^ 

 and numerous patents obtained within the last twenty-five years. 

 One of the most satisfactory processes is said to be that now pur- 

 sued at Ekman's iron works in Sweden, which is similar to that 

 patented by Linning in 1837. According to his specifications, 

 the peat is first ground to a homogeneous mass in a pug-mill, simi- 

 lar to that used by brick-makers, but with longer and sharper 



