DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
and quality of the different types of peat. It will be of value, 
also, as a guide in mapping such land. The final map of the area 
should show clearly the distribution and boundary lines of the 
different type profiles. It should designate each unit by a sym- 
bol, letter, or special color, particularly the areas difficult from any 
cause to prepare for development, also the units recommended 
for suspension or proposed to be excluded. Charts and maps of this 
nature aid not only in making estimates of acreage and quantity of 
raw materials available for different uses, but they are useful in 
agricultural surveys and statistics. For practical application, the 
stratification of peat land may be applied to a number of different 
objectives, such as the classification of peat soils forming in the sur- 
face layers, the interpretation of results from similar areas of peat 
*V-vi:u 
tlB^r^S ^*4J§4^ l*„ j 
I .•.'•',:•':. '■•••■•' : 
Fig. 2.— Graphic presentation of stages in the formation of a peat deposit over a depression that con- 
tained an older body of standing water. Compare with Plate 2. Adapted from Dachnowski (0), 
arranged in reversed order 
in different localities, or the comparison of European and American 
peat lands. 
An index number has been used in field work to designate each 
type unit of peat-land profiles. It is especially useful for indicating 
the relative order and character of the chief layers of peat with 
respect to the mineral substratum. To visualize the structural frame- 
work correctly, peat-land profiles must be read upward (pi.. 1). It 
should not be assumed, however, that this system of nomenclature is 
adequately descriptive, because the type profile of a unit area of peat 
may show variable characteristics of thickness, texture, color, and 
