76 
Journal of Agricultural Research 
Vol. XXIX, No. 2 
differing facility of hydrolysis in the 
peat materials is to be related to the 
different origin and character of the 
carbonaceous material, rather than to 
depth or any subsequent alterations of 
the peat material in the deposit. 
Results obtained by H. M. Cooper 
of the Pittsburgh, Pa., Experiment 
Station of the United States Bureau of 
Mines in the analysis of samples col¬ 
lected in cooperation with the Michi¬ 
gan Land Economic Survey in Charle¬ 
voix County, are presented in Table 
III, IV, and V. The peat materials 
were taken from three different type- 
profile deposits. Each of these had 
the same botanical composition through¬ 
out, so that any marked changes in 
the material due to variation in the 
composition of the peat-forming plants 
were eliminated. The carbonization 
and extraction tests on the three prin¬ 
cipal groups of peat were carried to 
550° C. maximum temperature. The 
samples were carbonized in air-dried 
condition and crushed to pass a 60 - 
mesh sieve. The gas obtained was 
practically free from light oils. The 
work so far carried on with type mate¬ 
rials respectively from sedimentary, 
fibrous, and woody peat indicates 
clearly a definite variation in the char¬ 
acter and the amounts of the thermal 
products from carbonization, corre¬ 
sponding with the differences in the 
origin and the botanic composition of 
the peat material, obtained at whatever 
depth. 
Aside from the great interest which 
a high content of fiber and of the cellu¬ 
lose group of substances in peat may 
have for the industries, their dominant 
value agriculturally is due to the fact 
that carbonaceous compounds are the 
food supply and the source of energy 
for microorganisms in the soil. 
Table III.— Proximate and elementary analysis on different peat materials, air- 
dried, from Charlevoix, Mich . 
Components 
Sedimen¬ 
tary aquatic 
peat 
Fibrous 
sedge peat 
Woody 
forest peat 
Moisture_ _ _ _ _ „ _ _ _ _ 
6.1 
7.5 
12.0 
Ash __ _ - __ - __ 
21.6 
4.6 
19.2 
Volatile matter . - . __ 
57.9 
61.1 
47. a 
Fixed carbon _ - 
14.4 
26.6 
21.0 
Carbon. _.. __ .. _ __ _ __ _ _ 
40.0 
51.7 
39.6. 
Nitrogen_ 
Oxygen _ _ _ _ _ _ ____ _ 
3.4 
28.0 
2.2 
34.7 
1.0 
33. 5. 
Hydrogen _ .... ... _ 
5.6 
6.0 
4.0 
Sulphur ___ . . .. _ .. 
1.4 
.8 
.0 
Calories_ 
4,044 
4,972 
3, 583 
Table IV.— Carbonization and extraction tests on various types of peat material 
from Charlevoix, Mich . 
Type of peat 
t Dry tar 
andwater- 
j soluble 
i salts 
Water 
! 
; 
Am¬ 
monia 
Gas, 
cubic 
feet per 
ton 
Residue 
Alcohol 
soluble 
Ether 
soluble 
Sedimentary_ 
Fibrous sedge_ 
Woody forest_ 
Per cent 
12.5 
9.4 
4.7 
Per cent 
24.3 
25.9 
23.6 ; 
i 
Per cent 
0. 075 
3,560 
4,595 
4, 760 
Per cent 
45.7 
41.3 
51.6 
Per cent 
0.42 
1.38 
.84 
Per cent 
0.18 
.71 
.38 
Table V.— Analysis of gas obtained from carbonization tests on different types of 
peat from Charlevoix, Mich. 
Type of peat 
Unsatu- 
rated 
hydro¬ 
carbons 
Oxygen 
Hydro¬ 
gen 
Nitro¬ 
gen 
Carbon- 
monox¬ 
ide 
Carbon 
dioxide 
Methane 
Ethane 
Sedimentary_ 
4.5 
0.5 
14.3 
4.1 
8.2 
39.9 
19.5 
9.0 
Fibrous sedge_ 
2.2 
.6 
11.0 
4.3 
13.3 
39.7 
25.6 
3.0 
Woody forest_ 
1.8 
1.3 
14.4 
11.6 
8.3 
44.6 
14.3 
3.6 
