MANUFACTURED PEAT. 815 



expense unless the price of fuel is as high as during the 

 'forties of this century. Several of these methods have fallen 

 into disuse, whilst others have been adopted. The former 

 will, therefore, only be shortly considered, more attention 

 being given to those still in vogue. 



(a) Contraction. Challeton at Paris, and Kay at Neuchatel 

 adopted the following method of increasing the density of 

 peat. The turves were cut from a bog, brought to the factory 

 and then cut to pieces by a system of rollers with blades fixed 

 on them ; the material was then treated with running water 

 so as to form a thin pulp, which ran over fine sieves in order 

 to remove all coarse fibres. This fine pulp is then led in 

 canals to a trench one to two feet deep, the bottom of which is 

 covered with reeds or rushes. In this trench the pulp sets 

 firmly, the water draining off through the reeds, and after a 

 few days it can be cut into turves by means of a wooden 

 lattice-frame as broad as the trench, which is pressed down on 

 the peat. 



The specific weight of Challeton's peat, according to Schenk, 

 Tl to 1-2, and to Dullo 1'8, is equal to that of coal. But it 

 is not suitable for fuel, as it burns like charcoal, without any 

 flame, the turves also fall to pieces in the fire and block up 

 the grate. 



(1) Dry pressure. In this case the peat is subdivided as 

 finely as possible, thoroughly dried and pressed into turves. 

 The experiments of Exter made a few years ago at Haspel- 

 moor, near Munich, and some other places, give the best 

 known results of this method. The bog was superficially 

 ploughed by a steam-plough. All the refuse peat was finely 

 subdivided, dried and conveyed to the factory. It was then 

 sifted and thoroughly dried in a specially designed hot-air 

 chamber, which it left with only 10 per cent, of moisture, and 

 was then converted into turves by a powerful press. 



This product, however, did not answer the purpose intended, 

 as it fell into dust while burning, and was scarcely superior, 

 as fuel, to the best ordinary turves. 



(c) Wet pressure. Owing to the obvious advantage result- 

 ing from pressing the wet peat, and thus increasing its density, 

 and at the same time its compactness, more attempts have 



