204 
of the Great Lakes. Thus far, however, moss 
suitable for surgical dressings has not been re- 
ported in any largé quantities from this 
region. The excessive heat in summer and the 
extreme frost in winter creates a condition 
that is uncongenial for desirable species to 
grow and thrive. 
On the Pacific coast, extending from Oregon 
to Alaska, large numbers of sphagnum bogs 
oecur. It is estimated that im Washington 
alone there are 25,000 acres of cranberry 
marsh. Of course a large proportion of this 
area does not have usable moss. Most of the 
bogs in Washington that are close to the 
Pacific Ocean are “raised bogs,” that is, the 
center is higher than the margin, often a foot 
or more. Consequently, surrounding each of 
these is a marginal ditch filled with water. 
' Raised bogs also occur along the northern At- 
lantic, especially in Nova Scotia and New- 
foundland. This type of bog occurs only 
where there is an excessive amount of moisture 
and thus most congenial for the growth of 
sphagnum. Moreover, it is this kind of bog 
that usually contains the species most suitable 
for surgical dressings. Hence the most prom- 
ising fields for the location of suitable surgical 
moss may be expected along the northern At- 
lantic and Pacific coasts. 
USES OF SPHAGNUM 
Sphagnum is frequently called “ peat moss,” 
because it, with other plants growing in un- 
drained bogs, eventually make peat, which is 
used extensively for fuel in some countries. 
Sphagnum is very commonly used by nursery- 
men and others for packing; especially is it 
desirable about the roots of plants when mois- 
ture is required for a considerable length of 
time. A number of varieties of orchids 
thrive as well in sphagnum as in their native 
haunts. This moss makes an excellent in- 
sulator, much better than sawdust or eyen 
cork, but of course it can not be used where it 
is exposed to moisture. It excels sawdust as a 
medium for packing and shipping raw fruits, 
like grapes, because when one bunch “ goes 
bad” the moss immediately absorbs the mois- 
ture and prevents the infection spreading. 
SCIENCE 
LN. 8. Von. XLVIII. No. 1235 
In Sweden some of the coarser kinds of paper, 
like wall-paper, wrapping paper and building 
paper, are made from this moss. It is used in 
Alaska and other places where it is abundant 
to bind up wounds of domestic animals, par- 
ticularly when there is some discharge. In 
such cases the moss is applied directly to the 
wound. When it is dried it is often used as 
bedding for horses and other animals. This 
moss has also been used in Scotland and 
Ireland as a home remedy for absorbing the 
discharge from boils and other suppurating 
wounds. The American Indians made use of 
dried sphagnum for diapers for their babies. 
In Alaska they still do it. The Alaska In- 
dians also make a very wholesome salve, used 
for cuts, by mixing sphagnum leaves with 
tallow or other grease and working the two 
well together. 
It is known that in Germany a fairly good 
cloth is made by mixing sphagnum with wool 
and weaving them together. Promising re- 
sults have also been obtained when it is used 
as a fertilizer. Not that it adds much plant 
food to the soil, but that it acts as a stimulant 
by holding a large quantity of water. It is 
of particular value when applied to the roots 
of trees along parking strips in cities. 
Dr. Walton Haydon, of Marshfield, Oregon, 
used sphagnum extensively while in the serv- 
ice of the Hudson Bay Company at Moose 
Factory during the years 1878-1884. After 
the moss was collected and sorted it was 
sprinkled with a weak solution of carbolic acid. 
When nearly dry it was stored in a jar with a 
tight cover until used. In using it a thin 
cotton dressing was laid on the wound or sore, 
then a layer of moss and the whole dressing 
wrapped with a bandage. Dr. Haydon found 
it best to keep the sphagnum with a small 
amount of antiseptic moisture in it, as it 
breaks up and becomes dusty when thoroughly 
dried. 
Sphagnum was used or at least recom- 
mended for use during both the Napoleonic 
and Franco-Prussian wars, and was employed 
to a limited extent in the Russo-Japanese war. 
It was not, however, until the present world 
