DR. ANGUS SMITH ON PEAT. 



C. H. 



Lycopodium dendroidum 4879 6-62 



complanaturu 48*35 6'6i 



Equisetum hyemale 47'54 6*74 



Aspidium marginale 47'*8 6*35 



Cyathea caniculata (section) 49*08 666 



(cortical part) 52*04 526 



323 



0. 



N. 



43-15 



1 '44 



4309 



195 



44*45 



1-27 



44*3° 



2*17 



43-o5 



121 



41-18 



1-52 



The analyses are from p. 154 of vol. v. of ' The American 

 Chemist 5 (No. 52). 



A table of analyses taken from p. 24 of Johnson's 'Peat 

 and its Uses/ shows the loss of oxygen in the formation of 

 peat extremely well, beginning with Sphagnum. 



1. Sphagnum, undecomposed. 



2. Peach- wood, ,, 



3. Poplar, 



4. Oak, ,, 



5. Peat, light brown, porous, "1 



sphagnou8. J 



6. , porous, red brown. 



7. , heavy, brown. 



8. , dark red brown, well 1 



decomposed. J 



9. , black, very dense and \ 



hard. J 



— , black, heavy ,.. 



, 1 J < quality 



-, brown, heavy j ^J 



10. 

 11. 



Analyst. 



Carbon. 



Hydro- 

 gen. 



Oxy- 

 gen. 



Nitro- 

 gen. 



Websky. 

 Chevandier. 



ft 



49-88 



49'9° 



50-30 



50-60 



6-54 

 6 - io 

 630 



6-oo 



42*42 

 43-10 

 42-40 

 42*10 



Il6 

 0-90 



I'OO 



1-30 



Websky. 



50-86 



5-80 



42-57 



0-77 



Jaeckel. 



53-5I 

 5 6 '43 



5-90 

 5'32 



40-50 

 38^5 



Websky. 



59-47 



6-52 



3I-5 1 



2*51 



>} 



59'7° 



5-70 



33-04 



1-56 



» 



5971 

 62-54 



5-27 

 681 



32*07 

 29-24 



2*59 

 1*41 



upon which Prof. Johnson remarks: — "We notice in 

 running down the columns that as the peat becomes 

 heavier and darker in colour, it also becomes richer in 

 carbon and poorer in oxygen. Hydrogen varies but 

 slightly. Nitrogen is variable; but in general the older 

 peats contain the most. 



" Carbonic acid is the most abundant gaseous product of 

 the peaty decomposition. Since it contains nearly 73 per 

 cent, of oxygen and but 27 per cent, of carbon, it is obvious 

 that by its escape the proportion of carbon in the residual 

 mass is increased" (p. 26). 



