546 
On Peat Charcoal. 
centre of the heap without giving off much smoke till it breaks 
out on the surface, and converts tbe whole of the centre of the 
heap into ashes. It must be remembered that charcoal is quite 
as combustible, or ratlicr more so, than peat itself, so that, when 
we merely extinguish the fire on the outside, the fire that remains 
soon breaks out again. When the fire is completelj' extingiiished, 
the ashes will have a black or charred appearance, quite different 
from the red colour of those heaps that are allowed to burn out 
of themselves. It is usual to have iwo heaps burning at the same 
time, one on each side of the drying-ground ; for, by adopting this 
plan, the distance for removing the peat will not be so great as it 
otherwise would be by having only one fire. At the end of the 
burning season all the charred peat is removed to a dry and level 
piece of ground, to be stored away till wanted for use; it is first 
laid in a rectangular form of about 12 feet wide, 3 feet deep, and 
to any convenient length. This is to facilitate the measuring the 
quantity charred, the practice being to pay from 4/. 10s. to 5/. 
per 1000 bushels, reckoning 25 bushels to ench cubic yard. After 
the number of bushels in the heap has been ascertained, the char- 
coal is thrown up in a triangular form, resembling the roof of a 
house, and is then thatched with straw or haulm to keep out the wet. 
Should the heap be placed on a wet spot, a trench will require 
to be dug round it to carry off the water, which would soak into 
the bottom of the heap. The best season for charring is from 
March to October. 
We have tried other ways of bvn-ning peat, s\!ch as covering 
the heap with turf to keep out the air ; but this would not suc- 
ceed unless water was used to put the fire out. We also made a 
small kiln, which, though of no use for charring, yet answered 
remarkably well for burning chalk with the dried peat. This 
^.^^^^ kiln was made by digging a hole 
near the side of a trench, from 
which the peat had been dug for 
burning, and then lining it with 
bricks ; the following drawing 
shows a section of the kiln. A 
fire was made in the kiln, and 
peat and chalk applied in ahernate layers ; as it was burnt the 
lime and peat-ashes were drawn from the mouth (a). 
3. Quantity produced from a given Measure of Peat. 
This of course depends a great deal upon circumstances ; it 
varies with the kind of peat, with the quantity of water contained 
in the peat, as well as with the earthy matter contained in it, and 
upon the state of decomposition which the peat is in. 
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