| Show Ii i 1 w WEA CC A w 1 W F Q d T r cI Q ih W ill T e LONG the rocky shores hores of ever every A continent and island aro arc number- number I less algae more algae more than 1000 tp es In all that all that perform the same office In the waters that ordinary forms torms of vegetation Perform on land land land- 11 that of making animal life possible They They The form torm the sole subsistence of myr- myr 4 lads of fishes and other marine nl- nl orals Species of these that do lIo not live fa It entirely or at all upon the plant life lite of ot the seas must prey upon smaller or orr r t weaker creatures that dor do r fc I The worlds world's greatest marine marino forest extends from the tho farthest of the Aleutian Aleu Aleu- It tian Islands lelands along the Pacific shores chores lof of North and South America In almost unbroken continuity to Terra del It contains more food material t than han Is Ie yielded by all aU the worlds world's wheat t s tl fields l fa Every ton of ot this harvest of tho the seas i represents presents more or less leas potential l food Is Kor for the worlds world's clamorous and hungry 7 lions Ills ft In In the tho neighborhood of Scituate J Cott Co- Co tt Plymouth harbor and white brae beach in Jn Massachusetts and andt t lye e 0 harbor New Hampshire there is locally Important seaweed harvesting Industry that has lIas flourished nourIshed ever sinco tR 1835 US This Is 18 the gathering curing i ud d preparation of Irish moss tl I lr From this same samo utilization of a a. aIa of ot tho the sea sen that has S been in Ia very other section of America neglected neg neg- j the thrifty Ne Now New En Englanders l relic re- re lic lIze anywhere from to 3 Annually The Industry is interesting us showing that even een In America seaweeds sea sea- Ft weeds Beds have been used as food and rued a as a delicacy for tor nearly eighty eArS cars The wonder is that the hint hue given of tho the possible usefulness r In of seaweeds has not resulted In the tho inti in indefinite in- in a definite development of ot similar industries indus- indus ti tries trl es al tv Along the California coast particularly li J rIY in the neighborhood of Monterey quantities of ot seaweed consIderable Icons h known own as the tho red rell laver laer are gathered r b b by t the he Chinese and antI Japanese This ma- ma 1 Is JB cured baled like lIko hay and shipped to Japan for manufacture into food tood products p In Japan seaweeds arc are utilized for tor food to a much larger extent than In r any other country countr although h their use tt is ii general throughout the orient and ando andt t o some extent in Europe I In Japan the cultivation of ot seaweed seaweeds Bs s regarded as the most profitable farming Industry of or the empire theu the tho u crop rop averaging per acre in value alue 4 annually and the tho cost of ot producing Itt it t being trifling Tho The area of submerged How the Fifteen Thousand Varieties of This Abundant Marine Vegetable V Might light Mi ht Solve the Eating Problem I lands suitable for tor seaweed seamed ed farming is 18 limited and is leased by the government government government govern govern- ment to tho the highest bidders ers Consequently Consequently Conse Com e- e quent competition for tOT leases is very keen Nowhere else In fn the world Is any effort made to artificially propagate propagate gate seaweeds or encourage their growth In a bulletin of the United States States' bu bureau bureau bureau bu- bu reau of ot fisheries a a. description IG is of the methods of or cultivating the red laver aver an and preparing it for 01 market or for tor table use In October and nd Novem- Novem her ber jer bun bundles Jes of ot bamboo or brush aro arc prepared on shore and taken to tho grounds In boats boats' at low tide Deep holes loles aro are made In the mu muddy d floor of the tho ba bay b I water an elongated thrusting down through the tho frame with two long conical upright wooden wooden handles Into ea each h of the holos thus made made- is placed one ot of the brush bundles bun bun- II dle-II forming long row rows that project t above o the water The object t of bundles of ot brush Is to afford a loth ing r IC 4 t la k 1 J T r. r 4 i In Japan Japa seaweed is planted like any other staple vegetable The women drive down stakes into the sea and at harvest time draw up upp their clinging bu burdens dens place for the spores that float loat abundantly abundantly anti antly in the water They become at attached attached at- at to the twigs and develop into plants that grow row rapidly so 80 that in three or or four months the they have at attained attained attained at- at full tull size and are read ready to be harvested They are then washed dried chopped fine and prepared In various arious forms torms somo some of which are said by bv traveler travelers to be palatable as well aa as 3 highly nutritious The Tho Japanese harvest harv har har- v vest Mt of this single species of ot seaweed Is valued at annually Of much greater Importance commercially com commercIal com com- mercIal 18 1 the manufacture of kanten kanten kan- kan ten or seaweed Isinglass which Japan exports exports to all civilized cl countries s. s According Ac Ac- cording cordin to the bulletin of the tho bureau of ot fisheries fisheries s already referred to to in 1903 there were in Japan BOO establishments for Cor the manufacture of this product turning out about pounds annually annual annually an an- nual valued at about Jt It t la Is prepared from seaweeds of ot the genus renua These grow on the rocks and are taken by diving the harvest extending from May until October The rhe harvesters cure curo the oeds in the sun and then sell ell them to the kanten manufacturers at from fl 6 to 9 cents per pound The manufactured kanten is Ia pearly white shiny and tr semi ent enl It is used In making Jellies soups coupe and sauces In the United States It Is employed chiefly in food tood preparations where gelatine gelatine gel gel- atine is required such as Jellies pastries pas pax- tries and desserts In cleanliness wholesomeness and er e every other particular particular ular it la is superior to animal isinglass It is also used for or the sizing of textiles the stiffening of th the warp of silks the clarifying of ot wines wine beer and coffee the tho making of or molds for workers In plaster of parts parl and In the manufacture ture of ot paper Large shipments are made to Holland destined for the schnapps factories In all civilized civilizes countries the Japanese kanten under the name ag Is la used exclusively as tho the culture medium In bacteriological ical work worl by scientific investigators The same Bame species of ot seaweed used in Japan for tor the manufacture of ot kanton kanten exists In Inexhaustible abundance on out our Pacific coast and at numerous places along alon the Atlantic coast while related species of equal value alue are abundant almost ever everywhere here In temperate temperate temperate tem tem- waters water In this country the product commands high prices so that the manufacture of ot s seaweed Isinglass s sou ou ought ht to prove proe a a. highly remunerative Industry Most abundant of ot all seaweeds are the kelps distributed alon along eVer every coast in fu the tho world From these the Japanese prepare many food products known under the generic name of ol It Is evident that the utilization of oC only a small fraction of the tho wasted and harvest hanest of the tho seas would more than compensate for tor the shortage of this years year's wheat corn and potato crops |
