WHY PEAT ? 
WHAT PEAT ? 
AND HOW ! 
M UCH interest is being shown by growers in the use of Peat, and 
as there are nearly as many kinds of peat as there are races 
of mankind, it is interesting to see how various types 
compare. The subjoined Table gives particulars which are the 
result of careful testing of various specimens. 
When studying this information, it is necessary to consider what 
are the objects of using peat at all, but before doing so, let it first 
be stated that peat is not manure, and is not used or usable for the 
same purpose as chemical fertilisers, or for which organic ones like 
fish manure, bone meal, etc. are employed. It however supplies 
what is missing from these,—a reserve of humus or humus-forming 
material. Furthermore it gives very definite aid to fibrous root 
growth, which in turn leads to stronger and better plants and to 
plants which are therefore less subject to the attacks of disease and 
soil pests, and which are better calculated to resist such attacks. 
Stable and farm-yard manure serve a two-fold purpose, the 
most important of which is the provision of humus and the 
improvement of soil texture, and the second of which is to provide 
plant nutriment. Such manures of good quality are none too 
plentiful, and they do unquestionably carry a lot of weed seed and 
other troubles. Leaf mould too varies very much in quality and 
often harbours fungus spores and insect pests. 
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The regular use of chemical fertilisers without adding to the 
humus content of the soil leads to soil impoverishment up to the 
point where it is worse than waste of money to apply them. 
Soil Texture. Coming now to the functions of peat. One of these 
is to improve the mechanical condition or texture of 
both heavy and light soils, and it stands to reason that 
the peat which is the bulkiest is the most valuable, while 
that which takes longest to decompose or work out is 
the most economical, because its beneficial effect on 
the soil is felt for a longer time. 
Moisture Absorption. Another valuable property possessed by 
peat, but in an enormous varying degree, is that of 
moisture absorption and retention. In this direction it 
will be readily appreciated that SPHAGNUM peat 
scores heavily, by virtue of the peculiar cellular 
structure of the Sphagnum Mosses of which it consists. 
The less it is decomposed too, the greater is its capacity 
for taking up and holding moisture, because in the 
process of decomposition the water-holding cells are 
broken down. 
Light Soils. On light and porous soils the value of this property is 
obvious because water, instead of filtering down to levels 
where it is useless to plant life, is held by the peat at the 
disposal of the plant roots, to draw upon as required. 
Heavy Soils. On heavy soils, the effect of the water-filled cells is to 
hold and keep apart the soil particles, and to prevent 
them from adhering together into the sticky mass which 
some soils form when wet. This same property is also a 
safeguard against caking or packing down of the surface, 
caused by the too close adherance of soil particles which 
have been washed together by rain or watering, or which 
have been trodden together when walked over. 
Acidity. Another point about peat is its relative acidity. In the 
past it is perhaps this factor beyond all others which 
rendered peat unpopular, except for definitely acid- 
loving subjects, and there was good reason for this 
because a great part of the peat available was too acid 
for general horticultural use. This also applies to-day to 
a lot of the peat on the market. 
It is now possible however, to get peat which is 
almost if not quite, non-acid, and such peat is being used 
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