72 THE WEALTH OF THE SEA 



a thick clolhy feeling to the cloth without the stiff- 

 ness given by starch. It may be used for the fixing 

 of mordants in cloth. With shellac it makes a de- 

 sirable lacquer. 



Recently a method of clarifying solutions by the 

 precipitation of alginic acids in them has been 

 patented. This process is based on the principle in- 

 volved in the clarification of solutions with alum. 



Fabrics may be made waterproof by treatment 

 with a solution of ammonium aluminium alginate. 

 Since this and other ammoniated alginates become 

 insoluble upon drying, they are used for the prep- 

 aration of waterproof varnishes. 



So many uses for algin and its compounds have 

 been found that its value should increase from year 

 to year as its utilization becomes more general. 



Seaweed Glue and Other Curious Seaweed 



Products 



The Japanese manufacture an important sizing 

 material, or seaweed glue, called funori, from cer- 

 tain seaweeds belonging to the genus Gloeopeltis. 

 These seaweeds grow chiefly on the rocks in the 

 shallow water on the Pacific shores of the Japanese 

 islands, from which they are gathered either by men 

 in boats, who use long-handled hooks and rakes to 

 tear it from the bottom, or by divers who cut it loose. 

 After the seaweeds have been dried on the beach, 

 they are sold to funori factories. 



The algae are sorted and cleaned before being 

 made into funori. The Japanese prepare the seaweed 

 glue by soaking the washed algae in fresh water, and 



