REPORT OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE. 
37 
farm in the vicinity of Madison, and belonging to Col. G. H. 
Slaughter, is estimated to be capable of furnishing 300,000 
cords. Formed by the gradual decay of successive crops of 
aquatic plants and mosses, upon a basis of earthy matter 
washed in to the extent of finally filling up the shallow lake 
which once occupied the place of the present marsh, peat must 
necessarily consist of the most valuable combustible and illu¬ 
minating material. In some cases the included trunks and 
branches of trees have been entirely converted into lignite or 
brown coal. The extensive use of peat as a fuel in Ireland 
and other countries of the old world, is familiar to every one, 
but it may not be so well known that it is susceptible of man¬ 
ufacture into illuminating gas and a great variety of products 
which are important articles of commerce, such as sulphate 
of ammonia, acetate of lime, naptha, paraphine, fixed and vol¬ 
atile oils, &c. 
Peat gas is extensively used in Paris, experiments having 
shown that it is more economical; a single peat gas burner 
yielding a light equal in intensity to 23J candles or to 3^ burn¬ 
ers consuming coal gas. According to Silliman's Journal of 
Science, the illuminating power of the pure oil from peat — 
the illuminating material par excellence — has been found, at 
equal pressures, 705, the intensity for coal gas being 100; 
and with equal volumes their numbers are as 706 to 100. It 
is not unreasonable to conclude, therefore, that in the course of 
time, when fuel and illuminating materials shall have become 
more expensive, these extensive peat beds of Wisconsin will 
have a great economical value for purposes of this kind. Ex¬ 
periments have been made with some of the peat taken from 
the extensive deposits found upon the farm of Col. Slaughter, 
but owing to the want of properly adapted retorts and other 
means of manufacture, the results were not thought to warrant 
the use of peat instead of coal, unless the works should be 
considerably modified. 
Peat is also valuable as a manure, and may be used in the 
same manner as muck or marsh mud. 
