esidues which do not possess the characteristics of charcoal, coal,
or graphite. The residues from the peat and muck soil contained
small quantities of a waxy substance which yielded dense, white
fumes on burning. The odor and the fumes given off resembled
those of paraffin. None of the other residues gave off white fumes on
348 Journal oj Agricultural Research Vol. 34, No. 4
burning. The fact that they blackened momentarily, indicated that
a small quantity of organic matter was distributed through the
residues. This momentary blackening may have been due to a trace
of soluble organic matter which was not thoroughly removed by
washing, since König, Hasenbäumer, and Grossmann (5) have found
that acetic and formic acids are formed by the action of hydrogen
peroxide on soil organic matter.