New-York tribune., 1912-01-21
GIANT, OR BULL, kElP. SHOWING
NATURAL FLOATS ON WHICH IT
RESTS.

7 and other necessary items, IS no mean
problem. Increasing mining costs. with IN
creaslng depth of shafts and drifts, or IN
creasing mass of overburden, seems to %
inevitable Possibly these difficulties can
be met. but al the best alunite promises 10
be minor II nevertheless important Amer
lean source OF potash.
Finally, while the conclusion Is Justiiieu
| that kelp groves and alunite can oe eN-
plotted commercially, and even' perhaps a'
large profits. the Department OF Asricu'-
ure points out that II is by no means "
| be assumed that any particular proposilloh
which may be promoted is safe and desra-
Bile. Prospective investors are urgenuy
/ warned to hesitate until they have ootalheu
such information as may be given by pup
lie officials and the advice OF reliable ana
dis,nterested chemist or engineer who has
carefully inspected the particular scheme
| in view before taking up any proposition
The use OF fertilizers has grown TO very
large proportions in this country, involving
an annual expenditure OF about sl2O'coVoV'
| and there is evidence that this amount -
likely TO be soon increased several fold as
more modern and intensive agricultural
methods are adopted. these being neces-
sary consequence TO the rapid settlement
OF the country and the inevitable read)us'-
ment of social and economic conditions
The word ''kelp" is used in several dit-
ferent senses. BY many persons X Is useu
to designate all large blackish seaweeds'
During the early part Of the nineteenth
century. when the kelp industry was
fiourishing In ireland and Scotland the
term was used for the calcined ashes ol
seaweeds. that found certain uses In the
manufacture of glass and OF potash feriI-
izers. At the same time the word was used
TO a certain extent to include all seaweeds
from which these ashes were obtained.
In the Pacific Coast region navigators
commonly use the term kelp to refer to the
largest and most abundant brown seaweeo
of the region-the bladder or bull kelp.
The simplest kelp is leaflike in form, out
! much larger than the leaves OF ordinary
plants. In the Puget Sound region the
kelp varies in length from less than t"o
feet I'm the case OF the treelike sea pal'''
to more than seventy feet, with oiauuet
kelp. The leaflike forms vary In lens"
from a little less than three feet to ten VI
twelve feet Experts from the department
estimated many lengths of kelp IN the
vicinity of Friday Harbor during the sum
mer of 19O9-'l0 and in various parts %
Puget Sound in 1911, by pacing them III
no case was one found exceeding seventy
feet, while average specimens were iounu
20 be from forty to nifty feet MacrocyS,'s
"A variety Of kelp-is commonly saiu ~
produce the longest stems known IN tho
plant kingdom, measurements OF one thou-
sand feet having been reported. The IONS
est specimen OF this plant. however nheaS
ured last summer was forty feet.
All l.elp Is attached to some Solo op,ee'
such as rock, stones, shells, piling ana ioss'
nv means of some kind of holdfasI
some cases this holdfast is mere oish ~.
others the holdfast is larger ana mu.n
branched. Many varieties OF keip are az
,ached 10 the solid rock of the Shore'
Ke,n growing in deeper water Is commonu
attached 10 some stones or to old sheii'.
puu kelp is usually attached to hea'ie.
stones or large pieces of rock keip Is hOs
found on muddy or sandy bottom uiiess
there are firm objects there to which u eau
attach itself - ss 4
The giant kelp which is OF value 40
| source of potash presents another GU.
tIon In Alaska II is reported that ca's
eat keln quite readily. and there are W