13 
certain advantages over starch. It is said to fill the cloth aie 
to be tougher, more elastic, Herateaae when dry, and not mu 
affected by acids. It ‘‘imparts to the goods a thick foe eee 
eek with a value of 87 0,000. — More t an half of it is ex- 
ar nC 
well known in American bigeeas as a culture medium for 
is Japa en,” 
bacteria and fungi, consists of t ese ‘kant The 
‘agar-agar,” however, appea of Ceylonese origin, 
and the agar-agar of our laboratories originally came and still 
comes in part from the “Ceylon m f southern India, which 
seems to be chiefly Gracilaria lichenoides, oe also to the 
red algae but representing a different fa: ro: e species of 
Gelidium, It bable that still ee sorts of seaweeds con- 
tribute to aking of agar-agar as s n the markets of 
Europe and erica, a circumstance that doubtless goes far to 
a ul 
explain the somewhat varied and inconstant behavior of this 
ture m 
exceeding i eenten” " (Gelidium sp.) in importance as a 
i is ‘“‘kombu,” which consists of various 
kinds of kelps, ¢. e., larger brown seaweeds, chiefly of the family 
Laminariaceae. The kelps of Japan are not so large as some of 
* The eee industries of Japan. Bureau of Fisheries, Bull. 24: 133-165. 
904. 
bl. 1-4 + Ff. 
