180 ARTIFICIAL MANURE, 



ing, and when perfectly dried, at 300° F. loses from 

 73 to 97 per cent, of water. When allowed to drain 

 as dry, as it will, it still contains, about 2-3 of its 

 weight of water. It shrinks from 2-3 to 3-4 of its 

 bulk. A cord wet becomes 1-4 to 1-3 of a cord 

 when dry. To compare its value with cow dung, 

 equal bulks must be taken, and hence, to dry peat, 

 a bulk of water must be supposed to be added, in 

 proportion above stated, or still better, because easier 

 done, the pile of dry peat is to be estimated by the 

 pit left after digging. It will be found on the above 

 data, that 100 parts of fresh dug peat of average 

 quality, contain — 



Water, 85- 



Salts of lime, '50 



Silicates, *50 



Geine, 14* 



100. 



This does not differ much from fresh cow dung, so 

 far as salts, geine, and water are concerned. The 

 salts of lime, are actually about the same, while the 

 alumina, oxide of iron, magnesia, in the silicates add- 

 ed to the salts of lime, make the total amount of 

 salts in round numbers, equal that of cow dung. 



If the bulks of these are compared, it will be 



