The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-10-28
A Giant Sea- Weed.

concerning sea-Weeds, says:
The giant weed Macrocystis pyryera,
immense beds Of which are found in every
latitude, possesses value in yet another
direction 1t grows to the immense length
of 700 feet, forming such barriers on rocky
shores that many ship has been saved by
its effect upon the sea- Myriads of ami
mails live in and upon its smooth, round
stems and broad, shining leaves-crabs,
cuttle-fshes, echini worms and even fishes,
that form a part of the food of the inhabi-
tants of the coast Not only this, but the
barrier of weed on shores where the sea is
particularly heavy, affords protection to
various animals that live in-shore and are
necessary to the inhabitants, who would
otherwise be deprived of them. On this
point Darwin says: "Amid the leaves Of
this plant numerous species OF fish live,
which nowhere else could find food or shell
ter; with their destruction the many cor
morants and other fishing birds, the otters,
seals and porpoises, would soon perish also;
and lastly the Fuegian savage-the miser-
able lord of this miserable land-would re-
double his cannibal feast, decrease in num-
bers, and perhaps cease to exist. " A strange
idea that the fate of nation should hang
upon a bed of sea-weed, but fact pure
and simple These great plants are the
weeds of the ocean, growing profusely and
with exceeding rapidity. For example, it
is said that rock covered with the weed
was exposed by the spring tide and found
perfectly bare in the following November;
when examined in the ensuing May, or six
months later, it was covered with a growth
of weed from two to six feet in length.
Though the nsacrocystts is one OF the lar
gest known, others of the 5000 species
known to science, are almost as remarkable.
The chordaflune attains length OF lOO
feet, growing in dense belts fifteen to
twenty miles in length and 500 or 6O0
feet wide. A tree sea-weed has stem ten
feet long and over foot in circumference,
while its fronds are two feet long. Bory
de St. Vincent claims to have seen Lama
rian 1900 feet long, the stem being as
large as a mans body, and sufficiently
strong to hold vessel of the largest class.
The commonly-called sea-weeds are eel
lular, Aowerless, cryptogamic plants found
in fresh, salt, hot and freezing water all
over the world, and though many have
roots, they are merely used to fasten the
weed to the bottom. An interesting ex-
ample of single-celled variety is the Pal
mella, or red-snow plant, that SO often gives
rise to tales of blood rains, the minute cells
coloring the snow rich red, so that the
steps of those who pass along are dyed with
seeming blood. The weed at the bottom
has a considerable effect upon the local col
oring of the sea. In the Bay of Loango
the color is deep red; in the Gulf OF Gul-
nea, white tint, while upon the shoals
about Japan the water is of decided vel
low. Near the Canary Islands the prevail
ing hue is green, and around the Mealdlve
Islands almost black. The color of the Red
Sea is derived not from the bottom, how
ever, but from an extremely delicate weed
that floats upon the surface. A similor
phenomenon has been observed upon the
great salt lakes of the Thibetan watersheds.
Local beds of weeds are often found color
ing the sea yellow, red, green or brown,
and often having disastrous effect upon
the living forms thereabout. Green patches
appear occasionally upon the waters OF
Southern Florida, destroying all life in the
vicinity. One of the first of these patches
was observed in 1874 by Benjamin Curry,
of Manatee In appearance it resembled
long patches or areas of greenish matter,
from so to 200 yards wide, and mile or
more in extent; in which would be floating
myriads of animals that it had destroyed.
The sponges that usually turn white when
the animal dies, were black, and about the
gilIs and mouth of the fishes there was a
thick mucus As soon as large fishes en-
tered the green weed they seemed to loose
control of themselves, dashed wildly about
and soon died. The last plague was in
1880, preceding the terrible hurricane OF
August.