MARINE ALG OF BEAUFORT, N. C. 405 
The above directions will serve as suggestions for beginners and will hold for the 
majority of species, while the experience and ingenuity of the collector will enable him 
to devise ways to handle the more difficult forms that may be found. 
ECONOMIC USES OF ALGZ. 
From a utilitarian standpoint alge are of value in four ways: (1) As food; (2) asa 
source of glue, gelatin, and agar-agar for jellies, culture media, and other purposes; 
(3) as a source of iodine, potassium, and other chemical substances; (4) as a fertilizer 
which may be applied directly to the soil. 
Since the substances contained in alge have little food value, their use as food must 
correspond to the use of green vegetables, such as spinach or lettuce, or of condiments. 
In this way they are used in large quantities and with great relish in other countries. 
Of the genera in this region, Enteromorpha, Ulva, Codium, Dictyota, Porphyra, Gracil- 
aria, Hypnea, Chondria, and probably many others might be thus employed. Consid- 
erable information regarding the use of alge for food and in other ways is given by 
Smith (1905), by Miss Reed (1907), and by Howe (1917). 
It is well known that the ‘‘Irish moss,” Chondrus crispus, of more northern shores 
may be used for the preparation of jelly and blancmange. Only one species, Gracilaria 
confervoides, has been tested here for this purpose, but from that species a very good 
jelly was obtained. The procedure is as follows: The plants of Gracilaria are cleaned, 
washed, bleached, and dried in the sun for several days, being repeatedly washed during 
this time with fresh water. The algz is then heated in water for one or two hours to 
extract the gelatinizing substances and is strained. The resulting strained jelly is 
sweetened and flavored to taste, set in a cool place to harden, and is served with cream. 
Blancmange may be made in the same way, using milk instead of water. Other gela- 
tinous alge, as Gelidium, Agardhiella, and Gracilaria multipartita, probably could be 
used for this purpose in the place of G. confervoides. 
No species of alge occurs in this region in sufficient quantity to be of commercial 
value for the manufacture of gelatin or agar-agar, but on other portions of our coast 
gelatinous alge occur in large numbers and probably could be utilized in this way. In 
the past agar-agar has been made principally in Germany from alge obtained from 
Japan. It is probable that experiments would show that this could be made from alge 
growing on our coasts, provided the proper algze could be found in sufficient quantities. 
The alge used as sources of iodine and potassium are the rockweeds and kelps. Of 
these only Fucus occurs in this region, and this is not in sufficient quantities to be of 
value. 
In the north the rockweeds and kelps furnish a valuable source of fertilizer, which, 
after rotting, may be applied directly to the soil. These alge, with the exception of 
Fucus, are not found here, and no other species grows in the harbor in sufficient quantity 
to warrant its being gathered for this purpose. After hard storms, however, algz are 
found on Bogue Beach in enormous masses, composed principally of Zonaria and Sar- 
gassum. If these were gathered and allowed to rot in the open, where they would be 
washed free of salt water, they would probably be found an excellent fertilizer and 
would supply the organic matter needed by a very sandy soil. 
