180 BOTANY. 



Ligneous fibre, •• 18.0 



Gum, 40 



Sulphate and muriate of soda, ... 6-5 



Sulphate and phosphate of lime, ••• 10 



Iron, a trace, 0-4? 



100.0 

 On the best mode of preparing it for use he adds : 

 " In the first place, from the tendency of pectin or veget- 

 able jelly to form insoluble compounds with saline and 

 earthy bases, it is necessary to steep this fucus for a few 

 hours in cold rain water as the first step in its preparation. 

 This removes a large portion, if not the entire, of the sul- 

 phate of soda, leaving all the gelatine, and starch. It should 

 next be dried by the sun's rays, and ground to a fine pow- 

 der ; I say ground, for cutting or pounding, however dili- 

 gently or minutely performed, still leaves the amylaceous 

 globules so mechanically protected, and so closely involved 

 in an external sheath of tough ligneous fibre, that scarcely 

 a particle of the starch can be extracted by boiling, even 

 though the decoction is prolonged for several hours. When 

 ground, boiling for 25 minutes or half an hour dissolves 

 all the starch and gelatine. The solution while hot should 

 be passed through muslin or calico, and thus the ligneous 

 fibre is removed ; lastly, the strained fluid should be boiled 

 down till a drop placed on a cold surface gelatinizes suf- 

 ficiently. 



11 With milk and sugar, and flavoured with lemon juice 

 or sherry, this substance, when prepared as I direct, would 

 afford the invalid a pleasant article of diet, especially at 

 sea, where other jellies or their materials cannot be so 

 easily preserved. As I am informed that this fucus is found 

 abundantly on the eastern coast of Bengal, I entertain 

 considerable hopes of its being hereafter found available 

 also in several processes of art and in various manufactures." 

 Plocaria Candida. 

 Fucus amylaccus. 



Goqpo8y§B 



