PEAT. 



PEAT. 



tain : 



Water . 

 Salts of lime 

 Silicates - 

 Geine - 



Tieties, the average of the 10 best being per | For all agricultural purposes, it may be con 

 100 parts, dried at a temperature of 300 Fah- sidered, that salts of hartshorn, or carbonate 

 renheit, by which process it loses 73 to 97 per i of ammonia, and white or soda ash, are equal 

 cent, of water: soluble geine, 29-46; insoluble pound for pound, and that pots and pearls may 

 geine, 55-03 ; total geine, 85-39 ; salts and sili- be taken at one-half more, 

 cates, 15-59. The poorest varieties of pond "If all the nitrogen in dung becomes ammo- 

 mud gave only 5 to 8 per cent, soluble geine, nia, then each 100 Ibs. affords 2 Ibs. 2 oz, 

 6 to 9 per cent, insoluble geine, or about 14 per Hence, if to 100 Ibs. fresh-dug peat, there are 

 cent, total of geine, and 85 of salts and sili- added 2 Ibs. of soda ash, or 3 Ibs. of pot or 

 cates - pearl ashes, all the good effects of real cow 



When fresh-dug peat, of average quality, dung will be produced. Peat or muck thus 

 is analyzed in its wet state, it is found to con- requires 2 per cent, of soda ash, or 3 per cent 



of potash. 

 . 85- "A cord of green peat weighs 9216 Ibs.; 2 



- -50 per cent, is 184 Ibs. Hence, a cord requires 



J4 ;50 that amount of soda ash, or 276 Ibs. of potash. 

 " But if the peat is quite dry, so as to have lost 



loo- I of its bulk, then 736 Ibs. -of soda ash, or 



1104 Ibs. potash will be necessary. Two per 



It is an interesting fact that this result differs cent< f alk ali seems enormous. It is stated, 

 very little from the result of the analyses of in the n P e tnat il ma y le ad to experiments on 

 fresh cow dung, so far as the proportions of the free use f alkali. But as it will be here- 

 geine, water, and salts are concerned. after shown, that this is to be reduced by mix- 



When allowed to drain as dry as it will, in & with loam or other matter, this quantity, 

 pond-mud still contains about two-thirds of its even if a Pplied to one acre, will probably pro- 

 weight of water. It shrinks from two-thirds duce ver y ood effects. 



to three-fourths of its bulk, a cubic yard wet "There are other practical facts, which may 

 becoming one-fourth to one-third of a yard ^P to a solution of the question, how much 

 when dry. alkali is to be added to a cord of peat. Ac- 



A cord of pond mud weighs, when dug, 6117 cording to the experience of Mr. Phinney, of 

 Ibs., and contains solid matter, 3495 Ibs. ; com- Lexington, an authority which may not be 

 posed of geine, 495 Ibs. ; of silicates and salts, Questioned, a cord of green dung converts 

 3005 Ibs. twice its bulk of peat into a manure of equal 



The salts and geine of a cord of peat are value to itself that is, a cord of clear stable 

 equal to the manure of one cow for three dun ?' composted with two of peat, forms a 

 months. It is certainly a very curious coin- manure of equal value to three cords of green 

 cidence of results, that nature herself should dun &- Indeed, the permanent effects of this 

 have prepared a substance, whose agricultural com P ost ' ac cording to Mr. Phinney, exceed 

 value approaches so near cow dung, the type those f stable dung. On this fact, 2 Ibs. of 

 of manures. The power of producing alkaline amm nia in 100 Ibs. of cow dung, should con- 

 action on the insoluble geine, is alone wanted vert 20 lbs< of fresh-dug peat into good cow 

 to make peat good cow dung. dung. The equivalents of these, as has been 



The great question comes, how is to be given shown > are 2 lbs - of soda ash, or 3 Ibs. of pot- 

 to peat, a substance which in all other respects ash * Allowin g the gaseous ammonia to be 

 is so nearly allied to cow dung, that lacking divided equally among the 300 Ibs. of dung 

 element, ammonia, without which cow dun^ and P eat ' this is in proportion of 10| oz. of 

 would be no better than peat, nay, not so good, soda ash ' or l lb - of P ota sh to 100 Ibs. of fresh 

 since in peat nearly one-half of the geine or P eat< Now this calculation, deduced from ac- 

 humus is already in a soluble state. It is well tual experiment, confirms the theoretical pro- 

 understood that the various matters used as P ort ions, supposing only of the nitrogen acts, 

 manure, either solid or liquid, from whatever tnou ? h that was made before the author met 

 source derived, all possess a common property with the statement of Mr. Phinney." 

 of generating ammonia. Peat in its ordinary Dr * ^ ana furnishes another striking evidence 

 state contains traces of ammonia, which is of the favourable results from applying artifi- 

 evolved freely on the addition of caustic pot- cial manu re. " Mr. George Robbins, of Water- 

 ash or common ashes. Peat, then, is a source town >" he sa y s > " is an extensive manufacturer 

 of nitrogen, since this with hydrogen consti- of soa P and candles, and of starch, and, still 

 tutes ammonia. Without going into all the Dett er, a man who employs the refuse of those 

 nice chemical reasoning of which Dr. Dana trades in enriching and gladdening his land, 

 avails himself, we will simply state his main F ? r four y ears (and it is believed his crops 

 conclusion, namely: that by the addition of \ Wi ^ compare with any of the best cultivators 

 alkali to peat, it is put into the state which arou nd him) he has not used a spoonful of 

 ammonia gives to dung. manure made by any animal, walking either 



With regard to the quantity of alkali required on tvvo le s or on fur. He keeps 11 horses, 

 to be added to swamp-muck or peat, in order 4 cows, 100 hogs; he uses not a shovelful of 

 l bring it to an equality with cow dung, "It h ne i r manure, but, selling that, he uses peat and 



frmrwl ** oirro T"lr- TSrt*-..-* U *U n * RWS1 mn_m nob- mi v^a/1 trritK KICT <**%*% 4- U*,,'1l~ 



is found," says Dr. Dana, " that 



52 parts of ammonia are equal to 

 58 parts of soda, or white ash, or to 

 ""i. parts of 1st quality pot or pearlash, or 

 86 parts of 2d quality pot or pearlash. 

 884 



swamp-muck, mixed with his spent barilla 

 ashes. The proportions are, 1 part of spent 

 ashes to 3 of peat, dug up in the fall, mixed in 

 the spring. After shovelling two or three times, 

 it is spread and ploughed in. The effect is 



