CONTRIBUTION TO THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF PEAT

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Abstract
A study was made of the chemical composition of 3 Sphagnum peat bogs, 1 of which was a typical highmoor bog. The Sphagnum horizons have a very high acidity (Ph around 4.0), always accompanied by a low ash (except sometimes at the very surface of the bog) and N content; a high cellulose, hemicellulose, fat, and wax content: and a low lignin content. With the transition of the Sphagnum layers into a sedge, forest, or sedimentary peat layer, there is an immediate rise in pH, an increase in ash, a decrease in cellulose and hemicellulose, and an increase in protein and lignin. The chemical composition of the organic and inorganic complexes of peat bogs is quite sufficient for their description, and a knowledge of this composition is of special importance for their practical utilization. When this information can be combined with a careful botanical description of the vegetation of the various horizons, the results are of even greater significance for our understanding of the nature of the peat formations, their origin, and the methods of handling when brought under cultivation.

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