SEAWEED INDUSTRIES OK JAPAN. 



139 



(1) The first stop is the removal of all foreign matter from the masses of dried 

 algse. Calcareous and other hard particles are dislodged by beating and pounding, 

 and other substances are picked out by hand. Further cleaning is effected by wash- 

 ing in running fresh water. 



(2) The wet alga? are then spread in thin layers on Hakes with bamboo or recti 

 tops, through which the water drains. The principal object in thus spreading the 

 algse is to bleach them; this is done in warm weather, beginning in August, and is 

 facilitated by dew. Under favorable conditions, twenty-four hours may be sufficient, 

 but usually several days are required. 



Pouring li<|in"<l kanten into cooling trays 



(3) As the drying goes on. the algse become agglutinated and more or less fused, 

 forming loose-meshed sheets. These sheets are loosely rolled and, as required, arc 

 boiled in fresh water in a large iron kettle or a wooden tub placed over a specially 

 constructed oven or furnace. The boiling extracts the gelatin, and a thick, pulpy 

 mass results. From the boiling kettle the jelly is strained or filtered through coarse 

 cloths into a vat or tank, this preliminary straining being followed by a more 

 thorough straining through linen bags of coarse mesh, which are placed in a crib and 

 squeezed by means of a lever, the jelly falling into a large vat under the press. 



