36 



NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



Analyses of Irish peat^ 



SOURCE 



Philipstown, surface peat. . 

 Philipstown, dense peat. . . 

 Bog of Allen, surface peat. 

 Bog of Allen, dense peat . . 

 Twichnevin, surface peat . . 



Shannon, surface peat 



Shannon, dense peat 



Carbon 



53.694 



60.476 



59.92 



61.022 



60.102 



60.018 



61.247 



Hydrogen 



6.971 

 6.097 

 6.614 

 5.771 

 6.723 

 5.875 

 5.616 



Oxygen 



32.883 



32.546 



32.207 



32.4 



31.288 



33.152 



31.446 



Nitrogen 



1.4514 

 .8806 



1.2588 

 .807 



1.8866 

 .9545 



1.6904 



1 Dublin Journal of Industrial Progress. Ash and moisture not given. 



Methods of determining' fuel value 



Though these analyses do not show the exact value of the 

 materials for fuel or for fertilizer, they may be used as a standard 

 of comparison and indirectly assist in determining the fuel value ; 

 but for accurate results the only method of determining the fuel 

 value is by using a calorimeter. In determining the value of 

 peat as a fertilizer, it is doubtful whether any of these analyse® 

 are of any value, as the benefit derived from peat depends not so 

 much on the chemical composition as on the mechanical effect on 

 the soil and its property of absorbing ammonia. In determining 

 the value of fuels, it is necessary to have a unit of measurement ; 

 and in England, the United States and among most English-speak- 

 ing people this standard is the British thermal unit, while in 

 France and Germany the standard unit is the calory. 



Inasmuch as fuels are composed for the most part of carbon and 

 hydrogen, it has been agreed in the scientific and commercial 

 world that all the carbon must be burned to carbon dioxid and all 

 the hydrogen must be burned to water in determining the value 

 of any fuel. The sulfur and nitrogen are ordinarily neglected in 

 these determinations. The amount of heat absorbed by a unit of 

 pure water when its temperaiture is raised 1° F. is known as the 

 British thermal unit. Ordinarily the unit of water is the pound ; 

 and, as heat and dynamic energy may be considered convertible, 

 the value of the fuel in foot pounds may be obtained by multiply- 

 ing the number of British thermal units by 772. The calory is the 



