REVIEWS 277 



of all of the quicksilver mines of the United States, giving their location, 

 name and address of owner, general character of the deposit, nature 

 and extent of the workings, reduction equipment, and estimated pro- 

 duction to the end of 191 8. 



The report closes with a list of recent publications on quicksilver 



in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. 



E. S. B. 



Feat in igi8. By C. C. Osbon. Mineral Resources of the United 

 States, 1918. U.S. Geological Survey. 

 The peat industry, though still one of our smallest mineral indus- 

 tries, exhibited somewhat surprising growth in 191 7 and 191 8, attaining 

 in the latter year a production record about three times that for any 

 vear prior to 191 7. This growth has been due partly to an increase in 

 its use for fuel, especially in New England, but also to the development 

 of other uses, such, for example, as its incorporation in commercial 

 fertilizers and its use in the preparation of stock foods, partly as an 

 absorbent for other components, but also because of its nitrogen content, 

 which averages about 2 per cent. During the war over half a million 

 absorbent surgical dressings were made in this country from peat moss 

 and sent to our armies. The report constitutes an excellent brief review 

 of the origin and distribution of peat in the United States and includes 

 a map, 18X28 inches, showing in colors the distribution of our peat 



deposits and the location of peat-producing plants. 



E. S. B. 



