9o6 CRYPTOGAMIA ALGM. 



In the [{[an ds of Jura and Skye it frequently ferves 

 as a winter-food for cattle, which regularly 

 ': come down to the fhores at the recefs of the tides 

 to feek for it. And fometimes even the flags 

 have been obferved, after a florm, to defcend 

 from the mountains to the ica-fides, to feed 

 upon this plant. 

 Linnaus informs us, that the inhabitants of Goth- 

 land, in Sweden, boil this Fucus in water, and 

 mixing therewith a little coarfe meal or flour, 

 feed their hogs with it •, for which reafon they 

 call the plant Swintang. And in Scania, he 

 fays, the poor people cover their cottages with 

 it, and fometimes ufe it for fuel. 

 In Jura, and fome other of the Hebrides, the inha- 

 bitants dry their cheefes without fait, by cover- 

 ing them with the afhes of this plant •, which 

 abounds with fuch quantity of falts, that from 

 five ounces of the aflies may be procured two 

 ounces and a half of fixed alkaline falts, that is 

 half of their whole weight. 

 But the moft beneficial ufe to which the F. veficu- 

 lofus is applied, in the way of ceconomy, is in 

 \n2k\r\g pot- ajh ov kelp, a work much pradifed 

 in the weftern ifies. — The manner of doing it is 

 this : The plant is colledled and dried carefully 

 • ; upon the fhore in fmall heaps. When tho- 



roughly dry, a pit is dug in fandy ground, 



about 



