42 



Tlie use of peat as a fuel by no means limits its range of useful appli- 

 cation; ardent experimenters have found many ways of utilizing this 

 humble stuff. 



Where thorough drainage is possible, peat lands have proven ex- 

 cellent for agricultural purposes, though in most cases requiring the 

 addition of considerable quantities of potash. As a fertilizer peat has 

 been demonstrated to possess decided value and is so used extensively 

 today. From the more fibrous peats an excellent paper is prepared, large 

 works in Germany being devoted to its manufacture. As a disinfectant 



A typical Peat bog-. 



and deodorizer, powdered peat has been sold, under an assumed name, 

 for some years, and most excellent results have been obtained from it. 

 Indeed the range of possible use of this remarkable substance seems 

 almost limitless. It has been used as a substitute for charcoal in the 

 manufacture of fireworks, coarse heavy cloth has been prepared from it, 

 a recent patent claims its successful use as a substitute for papier-mache, 

 a serviceable cement has been made from its ashes, and within the past 

 year the agriculturists at an Indiana college have suggested the possible 

 value of peat as a stock food. 



While the work of demonstrating these possibilities was necessarily 

 very great it has not been so extensive as the experiments which have 

 been made along the line of developing its use as a fuel. 



