CRYPTOGAMIA ALGM. 



In the iflands of Jura and Skye it frequently ferves 

 as a winter-food for cattle, which regularly 

 come down to the fhores at the recefs of the tides 

 to feek for it. And fometimes even the flags 

 have been obferved, after a ftorm, to defcend 

 from the mountains to the fea-fides, to feed 

 upon this plant. 

 Linnaus informs us, that the inhabitants of Goth- 

 land^ in Sweden, boil this Fucus in water, and 

 mixing therewith a little coarfe meal or flour, 

 feed their hogs with it •, for which reafon they 

 call the plant Swintang. And in Scania, he 

 fays, the poor people cover their cottages with 

 it, and fometimes ufe it for fuel. 

 In Jura, and fome other of the Hebrides, the inhar 

 bitants dry their cheefes without fait, by cover* 

 ing them with the afhes of this plant -, which 

 abounds with fuch quantity of falts, that from 

 five ounces of the afhes may be procured two 

 ounces and a half of fixed alkaline lalts, that is 

 half of their whole weight. 

 But the mofl beneficial ufe to which the F. vefm- 

 ' lofus is applied, in the way of oeconomy, is in 

 n\2ikmg pot- ajh or kelp, a work much pradiled 

 in the weftern ifles. — The manner of doing it is 

 this : The plant is coUedled and dried carefully 

 upon the fhore in fmall heaps. When tho- 

 roughly dry, a pit is dug in fandy ground, 



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