SEAWEED INDUSTRIES <»F JAPAN. 163 



The ash is washed with fresh watei - , and the soluble parts are thus extracted. 

 The extract is then evaporated in iron pans over a (ire, and a concentrated brine is 

 obtained. Besides iodine this brine contains potassium chloride, sodium chloride, 

 magnesium chloride, and calcium sulphate, which during further evaporation crys- 

 tallize out, leaving magnesium and- potassium iodides in solution. The extract is 

 finally placed in a glass or porcelain retort with sulphuric acid and potassium per- 

 manganate, and boiled, the iodine passing over and depositing in crystals. This 

 product, however, is not strictly pure, and refining is necessary. Refining factories 

 are located in Tokyo and Osaka. 



The fishermen send their ash to the manufacturers in straw bags like those used 

 for rice. As the ash is sold by weight, the fishermen are said to be not over careful 

 lo exclude sand and other foreign matter. 



The output of crude iodine in Hokkaido in 1901 was 12.40.'> pounds, valued at 

 $15,866. 



OTHER JAPANESE ALGiE AND THEIR USES. 



The foregoing are the principal seaweeds and their applications in Japan, but 

 there are many other species utilized in various ways. Many algae are not objects 

 of trade, but are employed for home purposes, and the annual consumption of these 

 is very large. Some are used for making jellies, some as vegetables, some as salads, 

 some as condiments, and some for decorative purposes. Large quantities are also 

 used for fertilizers. In few countries is agriculture more thoroughly intensive than 

 in Japan, and the need and demand for fertilizers are most pronounced. Among 

 the minor species which are especially sought and are most used, the following may 

 lie mentioned. For the information concerning them the writer is chiefly indebted 

 to Dr. K. Oku, chemist of the Imperial Fisheries Bureau, and to the paper by Yendo 

 on •" Fscs of Marine Alga' in Japan." 



" Arame " (Ecklonia hicyclis). -This alga, which is employed in the manufacture of 

 iodine, is also used as food and fertilizer. It grows on reefs on the coast of various 

 provinces, and is gathered from March to duly. Its greatest length is about 2 feet. 

 The chemical composition of the plant, as determined by Prof. Dr. Edward Kinch, 

 formerly of the Agricultural College of Tokyo University, is water. 13. 17 per cent: 

 protein. S. ( .U> per cent: carbohydrates. 45.09 per cent; fiber, 7.40 per cent: and ash, 

 •24.74 percent. ■"Arame*' is chiefly eaten as an ingredient of soups, as a salad, or mixed 

 with soy-bean sauce. In localities where it grows abundantly it is sometimes spread 

 on the land. The dried stem is very hard and may be used as handles for knives or 

 other such implements. "'Kajima" {EcTdonia <-<irn) is not used for food, but is 

 extensively employed for the decoration of houses on festive occasions. 



"Hijiki" (Cystopkyllum fwiforme) grows cm rocks that are exposed at low tide. 

 and is gathered therefrom between January and May. In January and February, 

 when it is very small and tender, its quality is better than in other months: the 

 largest size attained is (', to 8 inches. This species is sun dried and is ready for use 

 after boiling in fresh water or cooking with soy-bean sauce. Following is the 

 chemical composition, according to Doctor Kinch: Water 16.40 per cent, protein 

 8.42. carbohydrates 41.92, fiber L7.06, and ash 1>>.20. 



