The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1901-05-11
Ons Resource Against Ia MaIthus-
iaa Theory-DuIse and I6
Several Uses.

The somber prediction OF Nautilus
that the time is not far off when the
growing population of the world will
pass the available food supply be-
comes less plausible every day
through the growth Of our knowledge
respecting the possibility of utilizing
the Of the sea. That the
amount of fish food is inexhaustible
has long been known. 1t is now becom-
ing evident that in the humble sea-
weed humanity has a store Of whole
some and palatable food which will
equal any demand for centuries yet to
come. In the last five years consider.
able progress has been made in the use
OF the algae and other forms Of marine
vegetation. Experiments thus far have
simply followed the lines laid down by
the p%easantry of Ireland and Scotland.
Here from time immemorial there has
been a large use of at least ten differ
emit genera of sea MOSES, which are
usually summed up under the term
Irish moss" The older and better
word is dulse, which is an abbreviated
form from two Celtic words, meaning
water leaf. The most popular dulse
Is the kind found near ~Carragheen, in
the Waterford district of Ireland.
From the name of the town has come
the name of the moss, 'carragheen,"
and from this in turn the scientific
name for the mucilage, "carrageenin,"
which is a leading constituent Of the
leaf. Next to c%arragheen are the craw-
dulse, the sand-dulse and the pepper
dulse of northern Ireland and western
Scotland. These contain mucilage and
also small amounts of starch, digest
ible %cellulose and an appreciate
amount of essential oil. The pepper
dulse of Scotland, when carefully dried
and stored, has a pleasant, warm flavor,
which is supposed to be of medicinal
virtue.
In Iceland several varieties of dulse
are largely used by the people and are
known as Iceland moss. The mucilage
is here mingled with small percentage
of albuminoids, which render it a bet
ter food than the carragheen. During
the first half of the century Iceland
moss was regarded as a specific for
coughs and colds, and large quantities
were exported to Great Britain and the
United States. Even to-day in old
fashioned drug stores and conservative
confectionery shops Iceland moss
drops and Iceland moss candy may be
had for those suffering from pull
monary troubles. Dulse in the British
isles is used in four ways. The first
is to eat it raw This practice is con.
fined chiefly to the Irish proper. EN-
ployed in this manner. ii is supposed
to purify the blood and to prevent fe'
vers. The second mode is to dry it in
the sun and afterwards to boil ii for q
long period. either alone or with herbs
A third is to pickle it, and a fourth is to
grind it, boil and extract the mucilage
In the far east this class OF plants i,
utilized on a much larger scale. The
Chinese, Coreans, Japanese, Siberian'
and wen the Aleutes consume vast
quantities. The oldest use to which
it is put is to cut it up, boil and fer
ment the resulting liquor. 1t produce.
q mild beer Of rather a pleasant flavor
and very slightly Intoxicating. Thu
Japanese have given the matter grea'
thought and have developed severa
profitable industries upon these mosse
as a basis. In one the MOSES ar,
cleaned, macerated, rubbed through
sleeves and the resulting milky AuiC
boiled down to what they call vegetabl,
gelatin. 1t has been styled marin,
pectin by English and American off
GERS and is referred to in many consula
reports. 1t is put up in long sticks lik'
macaroni. and its translucent white il
tint. brittle in texture. odorless AM
always colorless in appearance. 1t
used in made dishes, desserts, and
above all, in confectionery, In anothe
industry the mucilage is extracted ant
put upon the market in small cakes
which sell at about the same price a
starch-from one to three cents
pound. Even at the first figure, on
cent, there is a reasonable profit to tn
manufacturer.