30 ON TUE MEDICINAL AND TOXICOLOGICAL 



Diet, des Sc. Med., xvii. 125, express astonisliment that more use 

 is not made of the fucus abounding on the sea-coast, in making 

 gelatine and as articles of food and commerce, as is done in 

 China. 



The fuci are among the most valuable of the tribes in the 

 preparation of kelp. Tliis species contains far less salt than 

 F. vesiculosiis^ and is consecpiently much less esteemed for kelp. 

 In Konvay it is the food of cattle, sprinkled with a little meal, 

 according to Gunner. The Dutch cover their crabs and lobsters 

 with it, and say that it is preferable to F. vesiculosus, because the 

 mucus from the vesicles of the latter ferments and soon becomes 

 putrid. " It is employed as a manure, and with much benefit, 

 though its value endures but for a single season. It is found pecu- 

 liarly well adapted to potato culture, and when spread on the 

 gromid in winter yields an abundant crop of the very best hay. 

 But if its application be deferred till the time of planting, the for- 

 mer produce, though equally abundant, is watery, ill-tasted, and 

 unfit for the table, though it answers well enough for seed. Tliis 

 remark equally applies to all the AlgaB, which, under the general 

 name of cart-wracA's are rolled ashore by the gales." Capt. Car- 

 michael ; Crypt, of Eng. ; Turner's Synopsis of British Fuci, i. 1157. 

 It constitutes a part of the fodder upon which cattle are supported 

 in Norway. Grev., Algse Brit., xix. ; Lightfoot's Flora Scotica, 

 ii. 903 ; Lind., Nat. Syst., 338. From the alkali obtained from 

 this plant a soap is made, not much esteemed, on account of its 

 hydro-sulphurous odor ; it is, however, employed by glass-blow- 

 ers. Tlie Pacha of Tripoli is said to realize a large income from 

 the sale of this plant. In Barbadoes they manure the land with 

 it, in order to raise the sugar cane. Merat Sz De Lens, iii. 307. 



Bladdered fu- 

 cus, sea-wrack. 

 Bocky shores ; 

 very abundant 

 in Eur. ; found 

 also on our 

 shores, from 

 Greenland to 

 N. York. W. 

 II. Harvey. 

 This sea-weed is abundantly employed in the manufactory of 



Fucus ve^culosus, Linn. Turn. Syn. Fuc, 117. 

 " Balticus, Agardh^ Svensk Bot. 



