Bingham Bulletin | 1929-12-26 | Page 7 | Peat Made from Carbonized Plants

Peat Made From Carbonized Plants "dug peat." In modern times excavators excava-tors and dredses are sometimes used and drying Is hastened by heated chambers. Peat Is used as fuel, and as a source of fuel gas, ammonia, fer tlllJier and a process for making paper of it has been developed. The plants giving origin to peat are "iiilnly aquatic reeds, rushes, sedges and mosses. The vegetable tissues die ar) begin to rot becoming water-l"Ked water-l"Ked and sinking to the bottom of the pool. As this deposit becomes thicker, the lower layers become compressed com-pressed and carbonized The formation forma-tion of peat seems to require a moist atnisrhere and a low mean tempera-Peat tempera-Peat winning la done by cut ting a trencb about a foot deep with a peculiarly shaped spade, called In Ireland a "slune," and removing sods from 3 to feet loog. When one lay er Is removed the next la attacked If the deposit Is very solid, step working Is employed. The sods are allowed to drain and then are stacked for drying, dry-ing, a process which may take six weeks. They are sometimes turned so as to dry evenly. Dried sods are called