Wisconsin State Agricultural Society . 
SI 
Per cent. 
Oak, beach, birch and pine wood. 31 
Maple, ash, poplar, charcoal. 68 
French peat, crade. 26 
German peat, crude..• • • • 34 
Irish peat, crude. 45 
French peat, charcoal. 49 
German peat, charcoal. 67 
Irish peat, charcoal. 84 
New Castle coal, bituminous. 70 
Glasgow coal, bituminous. 66 
This table shows peat (crude) equal to wood; and peat coal, ex¬ 
ceeding wood charcoal, New Castle and Glasgow bituminous coal in 
combustible element, and in calorific power. Charcoal from good air 
dried peat will equal about 33 per cent, in weight of the peat, and 
contains about 90 per cent, of carbon, and double the density of hard 
wood coal, and being free from sulpber, it is extremely valuable in the 
arts, particularly in the manufacture of the finest steel. In 1865 
there was 10,500 tons of peat used in Massachusetts for anneal¬ 
ing wire; 80 bushels weighing 1850 lbs. was equal to one cord 
of chesnut wood. Taylor, in his coal statistics, and others, quote 
from the report of Mr. Williams on common peat. Mr. Williams 
had been employed for twenty-five years experimenting upon the 
economy of different fuels for generating steam. Peat was by pow¬ 
erful mechanical pressure condensed to specific gravity of 1,160 
atmospherically dry. Charcoal from this peat had double the den¬ 
sity of that from dry hard wood. This peat was used on a Thames 
steamer for generating steam, 12 cwt. equaled 2800 lbs. of New 
Castle coal, and extended experiments show lip cwt. of this peat to 
equal 18p cwt. of bituminous coal. Dr. D. D. Parmelee in a pa¬ 
per read before the American Institute, states that carbonized, com¬ 
pressed peat gives a fine coherent coke of great value for metallurg¬ 
ical purposes. A locomotive was run over 70 miles of road for 
three months and showed a saving of 30 per cent, over bituminous 
coal, using coal furnaces and flues with fire door open and dampers 
down. M. Barstall, Bristol, England, gives his result in the use of 
peat in generating steam. Evaporating 5 lbs. of water with one of 
peat fuel, this, as compared with dry oak wood was found 10 per 
cent, superior. The French Emperor requested Mr. Rogers to ex¬ 
periment on the Paris and Orleans*Railway with peat fuel, who re- 
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