In drying it shrinks, loses its porosity and requires long soaking to saturate it again.
"Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel"
Samuel William Johnson
Peat, though having the same or a greater proportion of carbon, is generally inferior to wood on account of its occupying a greater bulk for a given weight, a necessary result of its porosity.
"Peat and its Uses as Fertilizer and Fuel"
Samuel William Johnson
Porcelain biscuit, which has recently been used with a black lead pencil for memorandum books, seems in some measure adapted for such trials, since its porosity may be diminished to any required extent by regulating the dilution of the glazing.
"On the Economy of Machinery and Manufactures"
Charles Babbage