38 BULLETIN 1191, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
tables only such beds are considered as have been regularly cut for 
a period of two years or longer. These beds are separated into two 
groups, according to whether cutting in them was continued for 4 
months or more at a time, or for only a month or two. Table 7 
consists of the beds in which continuous cutting was practiced. Some 
were cut continuously for the first 12 or 13 months, but when they 
began to weaken they were given a rest and cut periodically there- 
after. In other cases, for example at Santa Barbara and San Nicolas 
Islands, more or less cutting was done every month for 4 or 5 
months, and the kelp was allowed to grow, perhaps for the rest of 
the year. 
Table 8 consists of those beds in which periodic cutting was 
practiced throughout the time they were harvested. From some of 
the largest of these beds cuts were reported in three consecutive 
months, but in such cases the beds were divided into sections, cutting 
probably not continuing more than a month in any one section. 
The difference in the tons of kelp cut under the two systems for 
the three years (omitting November and December, 1918) are shown 
in Tables 7 and 8. | 
TABLE 7.—Cutting continuously for five months or more at one or more times 
since harvesting began. 
| 
Number of bed. 1916 1917 1918 Number of bed. | 1916 | 1917 1918 
Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. Tons. 
Ey ie Oey 50,850 | 115,881 63, 668 || 40...... SEPT SER aA’ he: 4,840 3,100 
eg et ne ok 39,738 | 29,670 19, LAHIALS. ot SUSAN eT ES 39, 040 35,725 
Te Weeds ae Oa ee pa Ae eae 19, 448 17, 855 BATE SAS SS TARA! OH 
ene Pee SE A es 23, 886 14,572 ota fu CAS at ok 245,336 | 155,750 
AOS ae SR 1 RR ae 12,571 1,713 
| | 
TABLE 8.—Cutting periodically, allowing two or three months for growth 
between harvests. 
Number of bed. 1916 | 1917 | 1918 || Number of bed. 1916 | 1917 1918 
pak: | eae HE eeET RIES ES a | ty % 
Tons. | Tons. Tons. || | Tons. | Tons. Tons. 
OT SO nae |e RO iat A505) 13, 688 HT By aM IN ea ot 800 5,420 8, 192 
CEN aa 19,640 | 34,718 CT | et ee F tab nitncin basis 5,743 8, 192 
Beer tadetus 26) 2 12075 °°) 17,175 12,062 || 43..... Sable vole A Bey eee 42,340 56, 785 
TE Se eee Re ae | 4,630] 11,842 || nie sauauees La eae 
Pid TS a 4,680} 7,770 9,106 |) Métal ty. 2! 3 | Sy -..+-| 111,846 | 161,534 
| iI { 
The kelp beds from Point Dume to Point Conception are omitted 
from the comparison because no cutting was done in the section be- 
yond Ventura until July, 1917, and operations ended in January, 1919. 
Other beds not mentioned in the tables were cut only at rare inter- 
vals to make up a shortage, a number of them not being opened for 
cutting until 1918. 
OPPOSITION. 
In the past some objections to cutting have been raised by the un- 
informed, the claims being that it kills the kelp and thereby destroys 
the hiding places, the spawning grounds, and the spawn of fish; and 
that it also exposes shores to the destructive action of storms. Pro- 
