1911] DACHNOWSKI—CRANBERRY ISLAND II 
at a depth of one foot (30 cm.) from the surface layer give the 
following chemical composition (table II). For purposes of com- 
parison analyses have been added of peat soils from a tamarack bog 
near Edgerton, Ohio (station VII), from a bog near Orrville, Ohio, 
now under cultivation in celery, onions, etc. (station VIII), and 
from a peat bog under cultivation, the soil of which is reported 
as unproductive (station IX). 
TABLE II 
CHEMICAL ANALYSES OF PEAT SAMPLES 
Sph - ‘ ‘ 
Cnstiinends cranberry Maple-olier saree — — 
Volatile matter......... 60.90 68.91 60.50 52.47 52.56 
pee Carbon. 65. os k 22.19 19.60 26.84 23.98 19.35 
BM eek ee 7.68 3.56 3-30 14.70 19.42 
MR Git ae 0.12 ©.00 ©.20 0.39 2.21 
Nitrogen (equivalent to 
J eae 0.80 2:55 ey | 2.58 2.38 
Pota er hopes 0.12 0.12 0.15 0.31 0.64 
Phosphoric acid (P20,).. 0.03 0.03 0.29 0.34 0.37 
eebes ee 0,00 ° 0.15 0.07 0.15 
AeGabL CNS os Sema ch 0.03 0,03 O.14 0.27 0.22 
It appears, therefore, that where peat varies from a highly 
fibrous condition, light brown in color, as in the sphagnum-cran- 
berry zone, to a structureless condition, i.e., well decomposed, only 
slightly fibrous, and dark brown in color, as in the maple-alder 
zone, not only the physical constitution but also the chemical 
composition is highly variable. The determinations, which were 
made in the same way as fertilizer analyses, show conclusively 
that from the standpoint of available plant food constituents, 
the peat of the maple-alder zone is superior to that of the central 
sphagnum-cranberry zone. The analyses of peat ashes indicate 
only a small fraction of a per cent of potash and of phosphoric 
acid, but a fairly large amount of the valuable nitrogen ingredient. 
Preliminary work indicates also that the relative availability of 
the peat nitrogen seems at the most 8 to 12 per cent; but that this 
relative availability of peat nitrogen is considerably increased 
when the peat is composted with the bacterial life from stable 
manure, the peat from the central sphagnum-cranberry zone dis- 
