The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1900-08-03
THE USES OF SEAWEED.
How THE GATHERING OF Ir CAN
AGAIN BE MADE PROFITABLE.


W. C. Mackenzie. in the New York Tribune.
Much attention is now being di-
rected TO the prosecution Of indus
tries calculated to mitigate the Sc
verify OF the conditions under which
the inhabitants Of the western isles
Of Scotland live. The promoters Of
these phianthropc efforts are meet
ing with an encouraging degree Of
success. but much remains tn be done
in developing the natural resources
which these islands have been proved
to possess. Situated as they are at IA
distance from the great manufactur.
ing and commercial ccnters OF the
country, they have to pay the penalty
of II comparative isolation. Railway
and other facilities are, however.
gradually removing the geographical
disabilities under which they suffer,
and the IIebrideans are daily coming
into closer touch with the southern
markets and with the m0dern ideas
and commercial progress which char.
actrrize life on the mainland at the
nineteenth century.
Not the least important Of the re-
sources alluded to is The sexwecd
which lines the shores nf the He.
brides, and from which the Article of
commerce known as kclp is nakbfac-
tured.
Kelp making at one time formed Il
highly important source Of revenue
in the Highlands and islands OF Scot
land, hut owing to various causes
large profits are now thing of the
past. AS far back Us the year 1720
the manufacture Of soap and glass at
Newcastle. and of alum ut Whitby
stimulated the industry OF kelp max.
ing to the shores OF the Forth in or
der to supply The English markets
with the raw material for the com.
modities named. In the Orkneys it
was manufactured for the first time
in l72S, and several years later IL was
introduced to the lIebrides, which
were destined to become It's chief CEN
ter Of production. In Ireland the
bleaching OF linen appears to have
given rise to the use Of kelp.
The prices obtained for kelp are al
most startling in their diversity. Pri-
or to 1880 it is reported that Orkney
kelp was sold at Newcastle ut Gl IS a
ton; /; during the latter half of the
eighteenth century the average price
was between "a and G6 at the begin
ming Of the present century ii realized
ELL per ton. From this point the
price Soon rose rapidly tn G22 per ton.
and the yield of kclp in the Hcbrides
alone was as much AS 20, 900 tons per
annum, the resultant VI about 400, 900
tons Of seaweed. This was the high
water mark reached. The introduc.
tion Of barilla from Spain reduced in
twenty years the price Of kelp to sl0
los. and the subsequent removal Of
the high import duty on barilla fur
ther reduced It's value to GS los. The
discovery OF iodine saved the kelp
trade from extinction. nut once
again the cruel hand OF fate was laid
on the unfortunate Helpers, when.
about twenty-five years ago, iodine
from Chili-as byproduct Of the nj
trate Of suda nlanufacture--came me into
the market, and by its comparative
cheapness ousted kelp from the mo
nopoly which IT had held of the iodine
trade, and thus materially reduced It's
commercial value.
In former years there were two dis.
tinct kinds OF weed used for the pro-
duction OF kelp. There were the Fuci
(embracing the black, kn0bbed and
bladder wrack and the Laminariu
dInitata or tanglc Tie Fuci were
cut from the rock by hooks and sick
lea, and formed the most prolific
source 1T carbonate Of stsda. the pro-
duction Of which at the beginning pl
the present century, introduced
area Of uncxampled prosperity to TN
Hebrides. Cutweed kelp was alM
largely used iUr soap and glsss-mak'
Inv until bsrilla took IT, place. Even
IL lnanurial value has been Ques'
tiUned, owing To the very large per
centage VI water and the relatively
small percentage Of nitrogen which 4
contalus. n