22 THE OCEAN 



climate of perpetual June and this is what ac- 

 tually occurs in Bermuda. Although no far- 

 ther south than our Central Atlantic states, yet 

 frost is unknown in Bermuda and all sorts of 

 tropical flowers and fruits thrive out of doors 

 throughout the winter. 



As the ship sails southward in the Gulf 

 Stream many bits of yellowish-brown seaweed 

 may be noticed floating on the surface and the 

 farther south one travels the more of this weed 

 will be seen. Sometimes it will appear in 

 great masses stretching for acres over the 

 water, now and then visible on every hand 

 as far as the eye can reach, and in places 

 so thick and matted and in such wide areas 

 that the ocean's surface looks like a great, yel- 

 low meadow. If some of the weed is fished 

 up it proves to be a rather pretty plant with 

 golden-brownish leaves and little round ber- 

 ries or fruits and quite different from any or- 

 dinary sea weed. This plant is known as Sar- 

 gassum and it grows upon the surface of the 

 sea instead of being attached to the rocks, 

 shores or bottom of the ocean like other ma- 

 rine plants. 



