Just about three-quarters of a century ago, Minnesotans were talking about the great natural resource of the State in the peat bogs, and insisting that the development of a! great industry to produce peat fuel on a huge commercial scale was certain to come.
The talk continued. The peat bogs, continued to grow. But the potential industry was obscured by the growth of iron mining.
To-day production of peat fuel for industrial and domestic consumption is an actuality. Experts declare the initial step finally has been taken and that rapid strides will be made during the next few years. The elimination of the heavy water content has been solved, they declare.
Business Men See DEMONSTRATION.
How peat is dug from the bog, rid of most of the moisture and prepared for consumption as fuel was demonstrated to a group of St. Paul business men at Corona in Canton County. The machines used are the invention of Herbert Garnett, director of the Corona operation. He learned the peat business in Ireland 25 years og and has devoted himself to improving production methods since.
By the Garnett process the wet peat can be dug from the bog and dried ready for burning in from two to three weeks. The machines dig, rake and pile into windrows for drying without the need of a hand touching the peat. Their use reduces the labor cost to a minimum and speeds up production. Expert engineers declared the process has solved the difficult problem of reducing the water content at such a tow cost that operations may be conducted on an extensive scale at a sufficiently low cost to permit the industry to grow to become one of the most important in the State.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.