Seaweed and its Uses. 



323 



forms entangled masses, which serve as natural break- 

 waters on the exposed portion of the Californian coast. 

 The leaf-blades of the same plant are used by sailors in 

 high southern latitudes for rolling up into cigarettes. 



The very long slender stems of Nercocystis Ltitkeana, the 

 great bladder-weed of the west coast, are used as fishing lines 

 by the Indians of the north-west ; and lines made of Chorda 

 filum are employed similarly in Scotland. The rough-dried 

 stems of Laminaria saccharina, L. longifolius, L. Jlexicaidis^ 

 and other large species of Laminaria, under the name 

 of " artificial staghorn," are used for making handles to 

 knives, paper-cutters, and other ornamental purposes. At 

 one time an attempt was made to establish a manufactory 

 of buttons out of dried Laminaria stems, at Marble- 

 head ; but the attempt was given up, as the buttons did 

 not bear washing. The dry stems of the Lamhtarice, 

 particularly the digitate species, as L. Jiexicatdis, are used 

 by surgical instrument makers in the manufacture of 

 sponge-tents. 



Corallina officinalis, L., was formerly used in medicine 

 as a tonic* 



In Ceylon a common seaweed {Sphcerococcus lichenoides, 

 Agardt) is much used as food, and so is another species 

 {Euchemia speciosd) in Western Australia. 



The Chinese import large quantities of dry seaweed 

 from Japan, which they use in cookery in place of salt, and 

 also as a vegetable to thicken soups. It is collected on all 

 the coasts of Jesso, and in the inland sea of the environs of 

 Nagasaki and Sinonosaka. It is an important article of 

 export at Nagasaki and Hakodate, the price being from 

 two and a half to four dollars the picul, or lOi". to i6s. for 

 one and a half cwt. 



* Baird's Report on Fisheries. 



