SCIENCE. 



»9 



give an account of these experiments and the methods. 

 For a long time his experiments were futile, because it 

 was impossible to make a machine of iron or steel strong 

 enough to withstand the pressure which must be applied 

 to the prepared pulp to reduce it to coal. By the action 

 of super-heated steam, peat is converted into a per- 

 fectly homogeneous pulp. By passage of this through 

 any of the ordinary compressing machines used for 

 making bricks, etc., blocks or cylinders are obtained of a 

 substance which, so far as its economic uses are con- 

 cerned, is not inferior to most qualities of bituminous 

 coal, for gas or fuel. Every effort was made to render 

 the bore perfectly smooth and polished in the cylinder 

 from which the peat was finally pressed out, and for this 

 purpose even glass aud porcelain were employed. How- 

 ever the peat was found to be so impalpable that it was 

 forced into the microscopic pores ot the metal, and even 

 of porcelain and glass. The peat thus inserted itself in 

 the finest possible particles which acted like wedges, 

 chipping off small pieces trom the interior of the cylinder. 

 No matter how fine and smooth the bore of the cylinder 

 was made, af er very beautiful working for a few days, 

 gradually this material would insert itself in the micros- 

 copical interstices of the metal, until gradually the work- 

 ing of the machine was stopped or an explosion ensued. 

 A great many trials were made and much money spent, 

 and finally the enterprise was given up. 



Mr. A. A. Julien remarked upon the voluminous 

 literature connected with the study of peat, and the 

 widely varying results, notwithstanding the enormous 

 amount of labor that has been expended. The study of 

 this material has been approached by investigators fiom 

 two economic points of view; its relations to agriculture, 

 and its employment as fuel. In investigations of the former 

 class the larger number of analyses have been ultimate — 

 i. e., to determine the carbon, oxygen, hvdrogen, nitrogen, 

 etc., which make up peat and its allied products. This 

 gives very conflicting results ; the slightest possible 

 change in the amount of water, the oxidation or dissoci- 

 tion of the material, even while during analysis, yielding 

 very different results even in the hands of a single investi- 

 gator. The other method is approximate, simply in- 

 tended for the estimate of the value of coal or peat as 

 applied to the purposes of fuel, and is that represented in 

 the analysis of Mr. Britton. Such analysis, however, can 

 throw but little light on the origin of the substance ; or- 

 ganic acid seems to be further indicated by the red ash 

 derived from the coal-like substance (Analysis No. 3), the 

 white ash of the enclosing peat showing the residue of 

 silica and alumina insoluble in the humus acids. 



Further, the physical characteristics of the substance 

 described by Prof. Fairchild, its brittle jelly-like character 

 while moist, and extreme shrinkage on drying to bright 

 coal-like brittle flakes, are identical with those of apoc- 

 renic, humic and other organic acids. These considera- 

 tions render it highly probable that this substance has 

 been produced within the peat at Scranton merely by the 

 leaching out of the upper portions of the bog and the 

 concentration of soluble salts of organic acids, in part 

 crenates, along certain planes and in small cavities 

 within the denser part of the peat toward the bottom of 

 the bog. There is as yet no evidence, however, that these 

 facts have any important connection with the formation 

 of bituminous coal, much less with ihat of anthracite, 

 represented by these specimens. A third method of the 

 examination of peat is founded upon the determination of 

 its proximate constituents or compounds, both those of 

 amorphous character and various organic acids. From 

 insufficient knowledge of the exact constitution and nature 

 of these acids, especially in their various hydrated forms, 

 the method is very difficult and has thus far had but 

 limited application. Only such a mode of examination 

 can throw light upon the character of the bright jelly-like 

 substance in the Scranton peat. 



Some statements by Prof. Fairchild, however, give a 



clue to its identity. He has mentioned a rapid change 

 of color in specimens of .the peat taken from a depth of 

 thirteen feet, the yellowish brown color of the surface 

 becoming blackish brown in a few moments while being 

 handled. This seems to indicate not the trifling change 

 produced by drying, but the characteristic reaction of 

 crenic acid, well known to chemists by its immediate 

 oxidation and partial conversion into apocrenic acid. 

 This affects not only the acid but its ordinary salts, e. g„ 

 those of iron, and has been observed both in its artificial 

 product in the laboratory, and in nature, in the deposit 

 cf iron crenate beneath peat bogs and from the waters 

 of many springs. 



Prof. D. S. Martin called attention to the resem- 

 blance of the lighter colored and solid variety of this 

 peat to the darker variety of the " turba" of Brazil. In 

 the latter he had alsq. observed thin seams of a black 

 bituminous substance which was much like that which 

 occurs in this peat. 



The subject was further discussed by Prof. Hubbard 

 and Mr. Parsons. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETY OF ILLINOIS. 



The regular meeting of the State Microscopical Society 

 of Illinois, was held at the Academy of Sciences, No. 263 

 Wabash avenue, on Friday evening, December 9, 1881, 

 President Dr. Lester Curtis in the chair. After the read- 

 ing of minutes and other routine business, the secretary 

 announced the following donations : 



From Dr. Schmidt, of New Orleans, one dozen slides, 

 consisting of nerve-fibers and other Histological prepar- 

 ations. 



" Botanical Notes " from Prof. E. J. Hill, of Engle- 

 wood, 111. 



Bulletin of Microscopical Society of Belgium, and the 

 report of the Microscopical Society, of Liverpool. 



Dr. Angier, of St. Madison, Iowa, spoke in reference to 

 some Acari which he had found under the skin of a 

 chicken. 



Prof. Burrill, of Champaign University, was introduced 

 and spoke in reference to the poison of the poison ivy. He 

 took some of the exudation and found it teeming with 

 bacteria, and he questioned whether the poisoning and the 

 bacteria come from the plant or otherwise. The speaker 

 stated that upon examination of the workings of the 

 leaves, he found the same forms ; the milky fluid which ex- 

 uded from stem contained numbers of them and the 

 effect of placing some of this upon his arm had been at- 

 tended with quite serious results. 



The speaker went on to say that he had found the fore- 

 going facts true with other plants among which he men- 

 tioned the chicory, buckwheat and dandelion. 



Dr. Curtis described a new half-inch objective made by 

 Gundlach and owned by Dr. J. Hollist. The glass was 

 claimed by the maker to have an angle of 100°. Its 

 angle had not been measured since leaving his hands. 



It has the society screw and can be used on any ordin- 

 ary stand. The back lens of the objective is large and 

 extends beyond the border of the opening in the screw. 

 This opening, therefore, acts as a diaphragm. In order 

 to secure the benefit of the full aperture the portion of 

 the objective can be removed and an adapter furnished 

 with the Butterfield broad range screw can be substituted. 

 It has also another screw of about the same diameter as 

 the Butterfield screw, but provided with a finer thread, 

 the name and description of this screw was not known. 

 The front of the objective is ground down to a conical 

 shape. For ordinary use this front is covered with a 

 brass cap, having an aperture in the centre to allow the 

 conical end of the objective to pass through. The cap 

 can be removed when it is desired to use the objective for 

 the examination of opaque objects. On removal of the 

 cap the conical sides of the lens are seen to be covered 

 with some sort of black varnish to prevent the passage of 



