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origin. It has been commonly supposed that the Irish moss, so much 

 used in invalid dietetics, and other algse and food made from them 

 were very thoroughly assimilated, but recent experiments carried on 

 by T. Saiki, at Sheffield Scientific School, Yale University, indicate 

 that this is not the case, at least with respect to the carbohydrate con- 

 stituents. That they are wholesome and are palatable additions to the 

 diet in regions where they are eaten in quantity is well established, 

 and it seems fair to say that they occupy much the same place in the 

 diet as other common foods, particularly green vegetables. In order 

 that digestion should be normally accomplished foods should be bulky, 

 and in this respect the marine algse would certainly prove useful. 

 Mineral matters are needed for the formation of bones, teeth, and 

 other tissues, and to fulfill other physiological functions. The algse 

 are rich in phosphates, chlorids, bromids, iodids, etc., and it seems 

 probable that the mineral matter which they supply must be of impor- 

 tance to the body. As Saiki points out, the algse gelatins are of much 

 importance in counteracting constipation. 



AMOUNT or GELATIN OR GLUE FOUND IN HAWAIIAN ALG^. 



The writer made some rather crude experiments to test the various 

 common limus of Hawaii for the amount of gelatin available by ordi- 

 nary boiling. The most satisfactory results were obtained from the 

 following varieties: Limu huna, limu manauea, limu akiaki, limu 

 kohu, limu loloa, and limu pakaeleawaa. Some others were tried, but 

 they contained very little gelatin or were too strong in flavor to make 

 gelatin for foods. The limu loloa made a very dark gelatin, with a 

 rather strong flavor, so would be more valuable for making mucilage 

 than for gelatin. In making these experiments to extract the gelatin 

 only a small coal-oil stove and a few tin pails were available for boil- 

 ing the algse. The seaweed was carefully washed and cleaned, then 

 boiled in clear water from 1 to 3 hours. When it seemed well soft- 

 ened or dissolved, it was passed through a coffee strainer, then through 

 coarse linen doubled. It came through clear, and soon stiffened on 

 exposure to the wind and sun. It was all dried in clear, stiff, crisp 

 sheets on plates in a sunny window. It looked as clear and fine in 

 quality as the best gelatins of the market. 



The time of cooking, the amount of gelatin obtained, as well as the 

 quality, varied with the kind of seaweed used. Limu manauea makes 

 the finest, clearest gelatin, and limu akiaki ranks next, limu huna 

 third in quality, while limu pakaeleawaa makes the poorest and 

 smallest quantity. Limu manauea requires the least cooking, and 

 limu huna is next, while limu loloa makes the darkest colored and 

 strongest flavored gelatin. It would make an excellent glue, because 

 it is very sticky, but dries hard as glue .should. 



