748 



SUBANTARCTIC ISLANDS OF NEW ZEALAND. [Soils and Soil-formers. 



Fream (39) gives the following analysis of peat-moss to be used for litter : — 



Moisture 

 Organic matter 



P2O5 

 K2O 



CaO 



MgO, &c. 

 SiO., 



N 



Per Cent. 

 12-46 

 86-16 

 0-02 

 0-01 

 0-15 

 0-48 

 0-72 

 0-81 



An analysis of three layers of peat from a bog in Ireland is given below : — 



K2O 



NagO 



CaO 



MgO 



AI2O3 

 Fe^Og 



P2O5 



SO3 



HCl 



Sol. SiO 



Insol. 



COo 



From these figures it will be seen that the Irish peats differ greatly from 

 the island humus soils in the high amount of lime and sulphates and the low 

 amount of alumina and iron in the former, contrasted with the low amount of 

 lime and sulphates and the high amount of iron, alumina, and rare earths in the 

 latter. 



Peat-ashes are usually very poor in potash, and usually so in phosphoric acid. 

 In a number of Saxon peats Stockhardt (39) found 0-25 to 0*5 per cent, of alkaline 

 salts, 0-5 to 2 per cent, of phosphate of lime, 3 to 10 per cent, of calcic carbonate, 

 and 3 to 10 per cent, of calcic sulphate. 



No. 1. 



No. 2. 



No. 3. 



0-49 



0-21 



0-26 



1-67 



0-65 



0-50 



33-04 



29-71 



24-94 



7-52 



1-20 



1-28 



1-69 



0-30 



0-36 



13-28 



20-37 



19-40 



1-44 



1-07 



0-24 



20-08 



22-66 



10-74 



1-75 



0-44 



0-34 



2-15 



0-64 



1-08 



7-68 



11-18 



26-79 



8-34 



10-78 



13-89 



An analysis of peat soils given in the Annual Report of the U.S.A. Department 

 of Agriculture for 1881 gives, — 



A (Top Layer). 



Ash . . . . . . . . 7-1 



KgO, NagO . . . . . . Traces 



P2O 



N 



2 '-'5 



0-15 



0-87 



B (2 ft. below). 



6-5 

 Traces 

 0-78 

 1-40 



