562 



NA rURE 



[October 3, 1907 



of the various structures in cells nrc also discussed; 

 c.^. the " vacuole " in Codiaceae loads to the consider- 

 ation of its nature, of the " tonoplasis " of de Vries, 

 and of the granules of which protoplasm is built up. 

 So under the bacteria their relations lo other organisms 

 as foes or as friends, and their importance in many 

 and different aspects, are well set forth. 



But it is needless to multiply examples of the many 

 questions of extreme interest that find a place in the 

 book, such as the existence and significance of 

 " physiological species " among parasitic fungi, the 

 very complex series of forms and relations to their 

 hosts in Uredinea', and others too numerous to 

 mention. 



Xor is it possible in a brief review to attempt lo 

 supply any adequate notice of the system of classifi- 

 cation employed, or of the links shown or suggested 

 lo exist between the groups. The algae and the 

 fungi are not kept apart, but are grouped together 

 into a system under the ideas explained above. In 

 conclusion, we have to express the hope that this 

 volume may in no long time be followed by the other 

 two, which are to treat of the archegoniate and seed- 

 forming pl.ints. The author has earned the grati- 

 tude of botanists by placing within their reach an 

 altogether stimulating book which should do much lo 

 win new workers to the absorbingly interesting 

 Thallophyta. 



'IHE COMMERCIAL USE OF PEAT. 



Peat, its Use and Manufacture. By P. R. Bjorling 



and F. T. Gissing. Pp. xii-(-i73; illustrated. 



(London : C. Griffin and Co., Ltd.) Price 6s. net. 



THl.S book contains a practical account of the 

 different methods of preparing peat for com- 

 mercial purposes, and of the uses to which peat can 

 be applied. In Nature of April iS, 1901, the atten- 

 tion of our readers was directed to the peat industry 

 of Sweden, and its use there .as fuel for generating 

 steam both for stationary and locomotive engines; 

 also in the number of May 31, 1900, to the exhibits 

 at the Vienna li^xhibition of that vear of carpets, 

 blankets, and clothing inade from this material. 



According to the authors of the book now under 

 notice, there are 35 million acres of peat land in 

 Great Britain and 6 million acres in Ireland. The 

 peat varies in depth from 2 feet to 40 feet. Peat 

 is also abundant in Canada, Denmark, Holland, 

 Germany, Russia, and other countries. 



The chief importance of this material at the pre- 

 sent time is its value as fuel in districts where coal 

 is scarce. Its great bulk as compared with coal, and 

 its high percentage of water, have, however, hitherto 

 proved obstacles to its extended use. The valu.-ible 

 portion of fuel is its carbon content, and in this 

 respect peat is inferior to coal. An average sample 

 of peat contains 427 per cent, of carbon, 4 per cent, 

 of hydrogen, 274 per cent, of oxygen, i-6 per cent, 

 of nitrogen, and 24 per cent, of ash. In some speci- 

 mens the carbon reaches as much as 66'55 per cent, 

 of carbon. Wood contains 52 per cent, of carbon, 

 brown coal 66 per cent., Swedish coal 78 per cent., 

 and English steam coal 81 per cent. 

 NO. 1979, VOC. 76J 



The following results are given of the testing of 

 peat fuel as against coal at Horwich, in Lancashire, 

 under a steam boiler. Coal got up steam to 10 lb. 

 pressure in 2h. 25m., and to 25 lb. in three hours. 

 Peat fuel got up steam to 10 lb. in ih. 10m., and 

 to 25 lb. in I a hours. Twenty-one hundredweight of 

 coal maintained steam at 30 lb. pressure for 9!! hours, 

 whilst liij cwt. of peat fuel maintained steam at the 

 s.-mic pressure for .S hours. 



Peat has been used on the Bavarian railways for 

 more than sixty years, and has been found 

 economical. It is claimed for peat that, being free 

 from sulphur, it has a much less detrimental effect 

 on the heating apparatus than coal or coke. .\s 

 regards cost, pressed peat costs ys. 41/. per ton. 

 Saxony coal 4^. gd., and Ruhr coal 5s. 5^. ; but if 

 cost of carriage be taken into consideration, the peat 

 is ys. ^d. against S.?. iirf. and 9X. 8d. for the coal. 



Kxpcriments were made .on the Hartford and 

 Springfield Railway, when a locomotive engine ran 

 in express time 52 miles with 14,000 lb. of peat ; and 

 it was found that two-thirds of a ton of peat was 

 equal to one ton of coal for locomotive purposes. 

 Several other trials made with peat for locomotive 

 purposes are given by the authors, and there is no 

 doubt in countries where coal is scarce and peat 

 plentiful the peal bogs may be utilised with very 

 great advantage. 



(ias has also been made from peat with very 

 successful results, and in Sweden it has been used 

 for regenerating, puddling, and open-hearth fur- 

 naces for the last. thirty years. It has also given 

 very satisfactory results for illuminating purposes in 

 Ireland. From a single pound weight of peat one 

 hour's light can be produced; in some peat there 

 is as much as 14,000 cubic feet of gas per ton. In 

 Sweden a ton of peat was found to yield 9295 cubic 

 feel of gas of twenty-four candle-power, a ton of 

 English coal tested at the same time yielding 7063 

 cubic feet of gas of fifteen candle-power, the by- 

 products being also largely in favour of the peat. 

 Paraflin for candle-making is also distilled from peat. 



.Another use to which peat has been largely applied 

 is in the manufacture of paper, which dates back in 

 Ireland to 1835. Yarn for weaving purposes is also 

 made from peat. There is now being sold by Messrs. 

 Bord and Son, of London, underwear manufactured 

 from peat. It is also considered an excellent material 

 for bandages and surgical purposes. The other uses 

 In which pe.it can be .-qjplied are numerous, even 

 alcohol being (ibl.iined. 



The greatest problem encountered in the manufac- 

 ture of peat fuel is the extraction of the moisture 

 from the peat. There are three general processes in 

 use — air, pressure, and heat. The former is best in 

 a country where a sufficient period of dry weather 

 can be counted on. The various methods resorted to 

 are described by the authors of this book, and illus- 

 trations of the machinerv given. The latest pro- 

 cess for converting peat into fuel is by electricity, 

 which has been tried in Ireland. The peat, after 

 being raised from the bog, is delivered into a rotary 

 hydro eliminator, in which it is subjected to a 

 gradually increasing pressure. The eliminator is 



