The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-10-24
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HASKIN, Director.
Washington, D. @.
WEALTH UNDER WATER.

| WEALTH UNDER WATER.
! Washington, D. c., Oct. 19.-There
is wealth under the sea, not far from
the shore, for any one who has enough
enterprise to go and get it.
This submarine treasure is not in the
gold and bullion of lost Spanish gal
Icons. 1t is in the form of seaweed.
| At least seaweed is one of the most
abundant and easily accessible forms
of it. There is much untouched
wealth in the ocean. The seas of the
world are its great unexpected natural
resource. Men have taken fish out of
| them, almost exhausting the more
| easily obtained supplies in some cases,
and that is all. The saying is litei ally
ft<ue that there are better fish in the
| zea than ever were caught. And be-
| sides fish, there is wealth in hundreds
| of other things.
| The people of the United States
have been especially backward about
exploiting the wealth of their coastal
waters. They waste fish which other
countries consider delicacies. They
import at great expense sea products
| that are daily washed up on their own
bea Ches.
The bureau of fisheries from time to
time calls attention to some of these
neglected opportunities. Thus it has
just completed an investigation of GER
tain seaweeds from which forms OIL
geiat tine are extracted. 1t has oeen
discovered that we are importing from
the Orient products which we could
make at home to our profit. And No
large investment is required either
Here is chance for that enterprise,
which is our national boast, to show
itself
A Wasted Resource.
Take the case of agar-agar. Agar
agar. if you never heard of it. is the
oil tod m ri
gelatine which is extracted from GER
tain red aIgae that grow in coastal
waters. Il has many uses. Its most
important one in this country is-that
of a culture medium in which to pro-
duce certain bacteria for purposes of
incubation. Nearly all hospitals and
laboratories have to have it. It has
also been used with success as a rem
edy for chronic constipation. In the
Orient it is highly esteemed as food.
but Americans have not learned to eat
it much.
substance every year, and it is worth
nearly half a million dollars. It comes
from Japan, China, Malaysia, and
Ceylon.
That half million could just as well
stay at home. Moreover besides pro-
ducing all we need, we might ourselves
export this substance, and we might
greatly extend the domestic uses of it,
especially its use as a food. For the
bureau of fisheries announces that
there are a dozen or more seaweeds in
the waters OF the Pacific coast which
contain agar-agar. -Four of these have
been studied in detail and are pro-
nounced as good as or better than sea-
weeds used for the same purpose in
the Orient. OF course, cost of produc-
ton is a factor to be considered, but
there is no reason to believe that we
could not produce the substance more
cheaply than we can import it. The
methods of preparing agar-agar from
these seaweeds are known in detail to
the bureau of fisheries, and can be OBJ
tanned by anyone interested. They do
not involve an expensive plant or
equipment. Rakes. kettles and wooden
trays seem to be about the only things
necessary. The product must be frozen,
and where temperatures do not go low
enough to do this out-of-doors, some
form of artificial refrigeration would
have to be employed.
A Valuable Weed.
This is only one of several uses to
which seaweeds may be put. There is
already in this country a small indus
try in the preparation of gelatine from
the seaweed commonly known as
Irish moss
This gelatine is widely used in food
and has much more gelatnfzing
power than the animal gelatine. This
Irish moss gelatine, or Carrageenin.
as it is called in commerce, has many
other uses, and it's manufacture might
be extended. 1t is used in making
water paints, shoe polishes. and as
sizing for paper, cloth and thread. |
It is used in shaving and other soaps
because of the fine velvety lather it /
produces. 1t is used as a clarifying
agent in making oil and beer. Ban !
doline, a perfumed mucilage made i
from Irish moss is used to make un- |
ruly hair and mustaches behave. The |
substance also has medical value.
The chief source of supply for Irish |
moss is the region around Scituate, |
Mass, where about 80 men were re-
Gently engaged in collecting it. There |
are half a dozen other places in Mass |
achusetts, in New Hampshire and in
New York where the moss is collected |
and prepared for market. Doubtless
there are many other places where it
might be obtained. Its preparation |
for the market is very simple. It !
is merely washed in sea water and |
dried on the beach until bleached. 1T |
is then packed in barrels and sold. It
brought about 10 cents a pound in |
1920. The bureau of fisheries can |
supply further details of methods and |
localities to any one interested.