Art. VII. On the Peat of Dutchess County.
Art. VII. On the Peat of Dutchess County—read before the Lyceum of Natural History, in New-York, by the Rev. F. C. Schaeffer, of New-York, and by him communicated to the Editor.
In May, 1817, I brought specimens of marl and peat from Dutchess county, which were taken from a fen or bog occupying an area of some acres. These fens occur frequently in the towns of Rhinebeck, Northeast, Clinton, &c. in Dutchess county. During a part of the year they are covered with water.
A pit was dug in the bog from which I procured the specimens. The order and depth of the well-defined strata which were exhibited by this excavation, I noted in my memorandum book, from which I extract the following:
After clearing away the fresh sod and recent vegetable mould, there appeared,
1. A stratum or bed of peat commonly called turf, varying in depth from three to four feet.
2. A stratum of peat and marl commingled; depth two feet.
3. A stratum of pure marl, from two to three feet. Below these there was an appearance of sand and blue clay.
The first, or upper stratum, consists of compact peat. This substance, when first taken up, is of a dark brown colour, soft, and rather viscid. Some vegetable fibres and vacuous seeds are distributed throughout the mass. It may be moulded to any convenient form. When perfectly dry, the texture of this variety, of which there is a specimen before you, acquires a high degree of solidity. Its fracture is earthy; the colour is lighter.
I should not have offered more on this subject than the labelled specimen, had I not made a most satisfactory experiment with this kind of fuel, which may be obtained in great abundance in our own State. It is easily kindled; burns with a bright flame; yields a bluish smoke, and produces an odour similar to that which attends the combustion of gramineous substances. But this is momentary. When thoroughly kindled, it burns with less flame, yields a small proportion of blackish smoke, and sulphurous acid gas is evolved, though I cannot discover any pyrites. It burns for a long time, and emits a great body of heat. It leaves a very small proportion of light, grayish white ashes; on which I have as yet made no experiments, having this day, for the first time, paid particular attention to this substance, attracted by the unusual hardness which it acquired since it is in my possession: and not many hours have elapsed since I subjected it to combustion. The attempt succeeded so well, that I cannot refrain from expressing my opinion, that this variety of peat will answer as an excellent substitute for the best Liverpool coal.