OTHER USES OF PEAT. 828 



order to preserve the bales during transport, pieces of undivided 

 peat and laths are placed along their edges. About 70 or 80 

 bales can be carried by an ordinary railway truck. 



Peat-charcoal* is prepared by charring peat in retorts, or 

 kilns. This product resembles lignite in heating-power. 

 When prepared at Christianat by electricity, in retorts, it con- 

 tains 79 per cent, of carbon. 



Dry distillation of peat j yields : charcoal 33 to 35 per cent, 

 tar 4 to 5 per cent., tar-water 38 to 42 per cent., gas 25 to 28 

 per cent. : from the tar, creosote and paraffin are made ; from 

 tar-water, methyl-alcohol, ammonium sulphate and acetic acid. 

 Only peat dried to 25 per cent, of water is utilizable. 



Artificial wood made of peat is referred to (p. 525). In 

 " Dingler's Polytechnical Journal," 1901, a report is made of 

 briquets of peat with only 1 to 3 per cent, of ash, and as valu- 

 able as lignite. 



* Miiller. " Die Tm-fvcrkohlung," 1874. Ekelund, "Die Herstellung kompri- 

 niierter Kohle au.s r>reimtorf," 1*112. 

 f "Ncuc forstliclu' I'.iiiitcr." I'.HI-J. 

 I l l'.<-isrli, Dif \Vrw.-rtun- (ks TnrlVs." ' Ncue forstliche Blatter," 1902. 



