THE WASTE AND CONSERVATION OF PLANT FOOD. 221 



agricultural value of certain fucoids. Many chemists liave contrib- 

 uted iinportaut data in regard to the composition of these bodies. 

 Jenkins^ gives analyses of several varieties of seaweed, showing that 

 in the green state it is quite equal to stall manure. The farmers are 

 said to pay as high as 5 cents a bushel for it. Goessmann^ also gives 

 analyses of several varieties of seaweed. We are indebted, however, 

 to the reports of Wheeler and HartwelP for the fullest and most sys 

 tematic discussion of the agricultural value of seaweeds which has 

 been published. Their interesting and elaborate report vas published 

 in January, 1893. Those who are interested in the details of this work 

 can find all known publications on the subject properly arranged, clas- 

 sified, and studied in the publication mentioned. We learn from this 

 publication that seaweed was used as a fertilizer as early as the fourth 

 century, and its importance for this purpose has been recognized more 

 and more in modern days, especially since chemical investigations 

 have shown the great value of the food materials contained therein. 



To sliow the commercial importance of seaweed as a fertilizer it is 

 only necessary to call attention to the fact that in 1885 its value for 

 use in the State of Ehode Island was $05,044, while the value of all 

 other commercial fertilizers was only .9104,133. While seaweed, in a 

 sense, can only be successfully applied to littoral agriculture, yet the 

 extent of agricultural lands bordering on the sea is so great as to ren- 

 der the commercial importance of the matter of the highest degree of 

 interest. 



It is not my intention here to enter into the discussion of the meth- 

 ods of preparing the seaweed, the times at which it should be gath- 

 ered, and the best means of applying it to the soil. These nuxtters are 

 all thoroughly discussed by Wheeler and Hartwell in the publication 

 mentioned. As an instance of the value of seaweed at a point far 

 removed from the Ehode Island coast, I may be permitted to say that 

 near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee Eiver, at the town of Fort Mey- 

 ers, I saw the most hapjiy effects produced in intensive culture by the 

 api)lication of seaweed alone to the sandy soils bordering on this arm 

 of the sea. Dr. Washburn, of the Florida Experiment Statitm, was 

 conducting the experiments to which I refer, and he spoke in the high- 

 est terms of the value of the seaweed in his work. Thousands of tons 

 of this seaweed are allowed to go to waste annually along these shores, 

 simply because the agriculturist has not been informed in regard to its 

 fertilizing value. 



There are many other uses for seaweed besides the agricultural one, 

 but in these we are not much interested except incidentally. Many of 

 the varieties of sea grass are used for filling mattresses, cushions, etc. 

 Other varieties are burned and their ashes used for the manufacture 



' Annual Report Connecticut State Experiment Station, 1890, page 72. 



2 Annual Report Massacliusetts State Experimental Station; 1887; page 223, 



3 Rhode Island Experiment Station Bulletin, 21. 



