TRANSACTIONS OF THE SECTIONS. 
47 
On Bleaching certain Varieties of Turf for the Purpose of producing 
a White Fibre for the manufacture of Paper. Bij R. Mallet. 
The kind of peat used for this purpose is that which exists im¬ 
mediately beneath the vegetable surface of almost every lowland or 
flat bog in Ireland, and is found existing in a stratum frequently 
of about three feet thick. It consists of the leaves and stems of 
various mosses, the roots and fibres of many small aquatic and 
marsh plants, &c. in the first stage of that very slow decomposition 
which is the character of every peat moss. 
The fibres are tough, and retain perfectly, in most instances, their 
original form, and are arranged more or less in parallel strata ; its 
colour is a reddish brown, and its specific gravity, as obtained from 
various bogs, varies from *360 to *650. It is proposed either to use 
the fibre bleached from this for paper-making alone, or in place of 
the various adulterations now used in paper from rags, such as 
chalk, gypsum, clay, cotton -flyings, hair, leather-cuttings, hop-bines, 
&c. 
The same material is capable without bleaching of being con¬ 
verted into an excellent species of board paper or mill-board, by 
simple pressure under an hydraulic or other press, and subsequent 
saturation in an exhausted vessel, with glue and molasses, drying 
oil, rosin, and oil, or any other suitable material. When so treated, 
it will withstand well the action of high-pressure steam. 
This species of turf contains from 3 to 11 per cent, of ashes 
when humid, and when dried, merely atmospherically, from 4 to 6 
per cent, of water. The ashes are of a white or yellowish white 
colour, and contain, 
Carbonate of lime . 69*5 
Silica . 3*0 
Alumina .. 17*0 
Peroxide of iron. 8*0 
Loss. 2*5——100. 
The author cannot account for the loss on this analysis, and has 
been unable to repeat it. He states that ashes from the bottom of 
the same bog where this red turf was obtained give a totally dif¬ 
ferent result, viz. 
Carbonate of lime .21* 
Sulphate of lime. 5*5 
Silica .. 24*5 
Alumina . 26*3 
Oxide of iron. 22*0 
Loss. 0-7—100.? 
The fibrous matter of this red turf is intimately combined with 
various complicated vegetable results of slow decomposition, but 
containing in greatest proportion the extractive matter to which 
Berzelius has given the name Geine, from yrj, terra. The extract 
obtained from turf in the way about to be described seems to be 
