USEFUL ALGAE — CHASE 427 



The provender value of seaweeds was almost completely neglected 

 in France until World War I caused a shortage of grain. A num- 

 ber of experiments were then carried on to determine the effect of 

 seaweed as food for cows and horses. The experiments by Sauvageau 

 (1920) show that Fucus serratus (pi. 9, fig. 4) and Laminaria -flexi- 

 caulis even after a prolonged stay in their acidulated liquor form an 

 excellent aliment for beasts. It was also found by Adrian that the 

 seaweed food caused an augmentation of weight in the animals in 

 proportion to the weight of algae consumed. The seaweeds seem 

 to act as an accessory in the assimilation of the usual nutrients, an 

 action that may be caused by the development of the digestive 

 sugars, possiblj^ by the multiplication of the hydrolizing bacteria, 

 a study which Sauvageau (1920) believes should be made the subject 

 of further search. 



Experiments at Skjorn near Trondjhem, Norway, were begun in 

 1917 to establish the manufacture of cattle feed from seaweed. Meal 

 was made from the varec or wrack, as the kelp is called, which was 

 dried and ground into a fine powder. An analysis of this meal is 

 given below : 



Percent 



Water 6. 49 



Ash 19.07 



Fat 2. 77 



Protein 7.04 



Wood fiber 6.16 



Carbohydrates 58. 47 



The protein was found to be digested in very small amounts, and 

 the mineral content of the food was found to be too large. The sea- 

 weed meal was a useful addition to the hay for cattle feeding and 

 proved to be excellent feed for hens. 



A seaweed-meal factory was also started in Denmark where a 

 process was used by which the seaweed is partially digested during 

 manufacture. The washed plants are cooked with superheated steam, 

 drained, and then pressed into cakes which are dried in a vacuum 

 and ground into a coarse powder. The juice formed during cooking 

 is evaporated until a portion of the salts crystallize. They are sep- 

 arated from the mother liquor in a centrifugal separator. The mother 

 liquor is mixed with the powder and the mixture pressed into cakes. 

 The analysis of this feed follows : 



Percent 



Water 5. 00 



Protein (NX6.25) 13.12 



Crude fiber 9. 00 



Ash 5. 03 



Albert and Krause investigated German seaweeds and stated that 

 all kinds of German seaweeds were valuable for cattle feed. They 



