The Scottish Naturalist. 



THE DIATOMITE BEDS. 



Something, however, yet remains to be said of the works now 

 going on in the vicinity ; for, although we have seen that with the 

 demolition of the forts about Kinnord it ceased to be a centre 

 of political importance, the district yet affords a subject of much 

 interest to modern scientists. The extensive beds of diatomite 

 recently discovered, and now being worked, call for special notice. 



The " white peat " cast aside as useless by those who obtained 

 their fuel from the Black Moss is now found to be composed of 

 diatoms, and to be of considerable commercial value in the 

 manufacture of dynamite. It will be remembered that, in de- 

 stroying the explosive compounds discovered in a secret manu- 

 factory in Birmingham in 1883, a workman from Nobel's Explosive 

 Company, Glasgow, had to convert these compounds into dyna- 

 mite by mixing them with a specially prepared absorptive sub- 

 stance. This substance is the " white peat " referred to, of 

 which the Company obtain a considerable supply from Kinnord, 

 and also from Germany, where it is known by the name of 

 Kieselguhr. 



The process of digging the peat is much the same as ordinary 

 peat-cutting. The " terr," or loose mossy substance being first 

 removed, banks of a brownish colour, ranging from 5 feet to 14 

 feet deep, are exposed. These banks are obtained by cutting in 

 convenient "lifts," and are found to lie on a bed of sand. After 

 being partially dried on the "lair," it is packed into covered racks 

 to prevent damage by rain ; when, after a time, it is stacked. In 

 this way it is made thoroughly dry, ready to be sent on for use, 

 and is of a whitish-grey colour, and extremely light — taking about 

 six cubic yards to weigh a ton. 



Before being used in the manufacture of dynamite it is calcined 

 in a specially prepared kiln, which makes it a very fine chalky- 

 looking powder, extremely open and porous. It is also used in 

 the manufacture of polishing substances, and other bodies where 

 a finely-divided silicious base is required. 



The following is the summary of an interesting analysis given 

 in the Tran. Geol. Soc, Edinburgh, by W. Ivison Macadam, 

 F.C.S., F.I.C, Hon. Secretary of the Society :— " The 'white 

 peat 7 is a grey- white, porous, very light fibrous mass. On treating 

 the peat with ether and evaporating the solution, a fine green- 



