FARIBAULT COUNTY. 469 



Peat.1 



torn, drives to the spreading ground, dumps his load from the cart and returns, during which 

 time another load has accumulated in the vat. The pulp is dumped on a smooth plat of ground, 

 where a man with a common shovel spreads it into beds four inches thick, nine feet wide, and 

 as long as necessary, setting up boards at the sides to keep it from spreading, who is followed by 

 another man with a tool similar to a rolling colter for a plow, fixed on a long handle, who cuts 

 the beds of soft peat into blocks 8x13 inches, which commence to solidify at once by the ejection 

 of the water; and in one or two days, by the use of a light tool made expressly for the purpose, 

 these blocks are tipped up on edge or corners promiscuously, so the sun and wind can have a 

 better chance at them. In two days more they are piled- in open ricks, in which posture they re- 

 main on an average two weeks, when they are housed to finish drying. 



"The cost, tho past season [1871], of running this establishment, at a capacity of 60 tons of 

 wet or 15 tons of dry peat per day (equal at least, when properly prepared and well seasoned, to 

 15 cords of good wood), is as follows: 



Superintendent $2.50 



Engineer per day 2.75 



Three men in bog to load car 6.00 



Man to spread pulped peat into beds 1.50 



Boy to turn blocks 1.00 



Two boys to rick up blocks 2.00 



Man to feed peat into mill 1.50 



Boy to drive cart 1.00 



Man to cut peat into blocks 1.50 



Cart horse 1 .00 



One ton peat at cost price for engine 1.72 



For oil, and wear and tear on engine 1.00 



Add 22 cts. for housing 15 tons, one day's product 3.30 



Total |26.77 



" All the peat is being sold at $4.00 a ton, except that to the railroad company, at which price 

 the yield per day would ba $69.00." The value of the manufactured peat is estimated equal to 

 that of good wood per cord; and the cost of the plant, capable of manufacturing 100 tons of wet 

 peat, or 25 tons when dry psr day, including mill (1400), frame, trestle-work, car-track, car, dump 

 cart, etc., is stated to have bsen about $703. Tlis demand, however, was too small to lead to the 

 continuation of this business. Two or three years later Mr. Haight again worked peat in this 

 manner near Eastern; but here, also, the enteiprise was soon abandoned, though a good fuel could 

 be made at small cost, if sufficient quantities could be sold to keep the machinery and workmen 

 employed. 



An analysis, by Dr. P. B. Eose, of the peat manufactured by Mr. Haight at Wells, gave of 

 water, 14 per cent.; ash, 18; and organic matter, 68. The ash yielded silica, 58.31 per cent.; lime, 

 14.18; carbonic acid, 11.63; iron and alumina, 10.21; magnesia, 2.90; sulphuric acid. 2.11; potassa, 

 0.41; and soda, 0.18. Of its organic matter, carbon was 52.02 per cent.; hydrogen, 6.68; and oxy- 

 gen and nitrogen, 41.30. A hundred pounds of this peat was found equal in heating power to 

 ninety-eight pounds of dry oak wood. 



A peat deposit, eighty or a hundred acres in extent and said to reach a depth of four feet 

 occurs on land of H. F. Quinby and J. Robinson, in section 30, Minnesota Lake. 



.Near Easton peat is found in considerable quantities on land of W. Z. Haight. Four speci- 

 mens of this peat, air-dried, were submitted to chemical examination by Prof. S. F. Peckham, as 

 to their " hygroscopic water, organic matter, and ash. They were all treated exactly alike. An 

 average sample of each of the specimens was finely pulverized and thoroughly mixed. Of this 

 one gramme was carefully weighed in a one-ounce platinum crucible. The covered crucible con- 

 taining the assay was then placed in an air bath, and heated to 212 220 degs. Fahr., until it ceased 

 to lose weight. The loss was estimated as hygroscopic water. The cover was then removed, the 

 crucible inclined and heated to dull redness, tinally to bright redness, until the combustible mat- 

 ter was entirely consumed. The loss was estimated as organic matter and the residue as ash. 

 The following results were obtained: 



