^58 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The presence of water is necessary for peat formation, as 

 vegetable matter if exposed to the air alone is completely de- 

 stroyed. Since most peat is formed from the moss, sphagnum, 

 peat bogs are formed only in cold, temperate, humid climates, 

 for the reason that sphagnum does not grow in dry air, and also 

 on account of the fact that vegetable matter ferments more 

 rapidly in moist climates, and is more easily converted into gas- 

 eous products. 



The reason why sphagnum is a good peat producer is because 

 of its cellular structure, the plant tissues attract and absorb 

 much moisture. Thus a growth of sphagnum may raise the 

 water level above that of the surrounding surface. Also the 

 fibers of sphagnum are tough and make a mass firm for cutting. 



The following section of a peat bog is given by R. W. Ells. 1 

 On the surface there is a growth of stunted tamarack trees. 

 Proceeding downward the following layers are recognized: 



1 Green living and growing plants 



2 Intermediate zone containing well defined plant remains 



3 Lower zone, in which there is very little plant structure re- 

 maining 



An ultimate chemical analysis of peat shows carbon, hydro- 

 gen, oxygen and nitrogen, or the same elements found in the 

 parent plants from which it was formed, but the four elements 

 are present in different amounts. Johnson 2 gives the following 

 analyses, which show the changes that take place in the altera- 

 tion of sphagnum to peat. 



Material Analyst Carbon Hydrogen Oxygen Nitrogen 



Sphagnum . .Websky... 49.88 6.54 42.42 1.16 



Peach wood .... Chevandier 49 . 9 6.1 43.1 .9 



Poplar wood .... " 50.3 6.3 42.4 1 



Oak wood " 50.6 6 42.1 1.3 



Peat, porous, light brown, 



sphagnum .Websky. .. 50.86 5.8 42.57 .77 



Peat, porous, red brown . Jaeckel ... 53.51 5.9 40.59 



Peat, heavy, brown " ... 56 . 43 5 . 32 38 . 25 



Ontario Bureau of Mines. Rep't 1892. p. 195. 



2 Pea.t .and its Uses, p.24. 



