June 1, 1909 
The Orchard. 
The Value of Seaweed. 
‘Seaweed is often looked upon as a 
‘waste product of our seashores, but in- 
‘stead of being of little or no value, it is 
‘esteemed by those who have used it as a 
Most valuable manure, either when used 
by itself or mixed with stable or farmyard 
‘stuff, All gardeners, are aware of the 
utility of seaweed for dressing beds of 
asparagus, sea-kale, globe artichoke, and 
8ome other vegetable crops, but they do 
not seem to know that moderately used 
it has a most beneficial effect upon fruit 
trees, especially apples and pears, also 
Upon grape vines. 
It is true that some market gardeners 
Tesiding near our seashores go to the 
trouble of gathering and carting on to 
their Jand small quantities of this material 
but an immense amount of it is allowed 
to be lost. by being. washed back again 
Into the sea, to be covered up with sand, 
or allowed to rot on the beach and be- 
ome offensive in many ways. In 
dry seasons it makes a really 
°xcellent mulching material perhaps 
better even than stable manure, and cer- 
tainly better than many other things 
Which are used. It is recorded that some 
land which had been reclaimed from the 
Sea had been converted into a garden - 
Which grew excellent vegetables, flowers, 
and fruits. There wasa great depth of 
Sandy soil, and this was composed to a 
Steat extent of sand and decayed sea- 
Weed. It appears to be of more value in 
light than in heavy soils, 
Apart from any manurial properties 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
contained in seaweed, it is, like salt, 
moisture-holding, as well as feeding, the 
value and importance of which should 
not be ignored by those whose fruit trees 
are growing in very porous soils and 
where the rainfall is light. Fresh sea- 
weed should not be buried near to the 
roots of established trees, neither should 
it be incorporated with the soil in form- 
ing a new fruit garden, but frequent 
’ mulchings of the surface ground, piece- 
meal, area safe means of stimulating 
growth and sustaining the trees under the 
trying influence of a long drought. By 
this means it would gradually find its way 
into the lower ground, and undoubtedly 
improve its staple. 
Jn many parts of Great Britain seaweed 
is assessed at its proper value. One 
illustration may be given, The gardens 
at Arundal Castle are widely celebrated 
for their extent, and the fine order in 
which they are kept. Fora series of years 
heavy mulchings of stable litter were 
annually applied to the fruit trees, but it 
was found that the manure formed fine 
harbours for woodlice, earwigs, beetles, 
and weevils, as well as for sparrows and 
other birds; the fruits suffered in conse- 
quence, and the finest specimens formed 
the feeding ground at night of the 
numerous insect depredators. It occurred 
to the head gardener to use for a mulch 
seaweed. This was done, and now the 
fruit is large, bright, without a speck, and 
uninjured by any of the above-named 
pests. Occasional dressings to vines of 
seaweed are also recommended. 
Tt has been stated that potatoes which 
have been manured with seaweed will 
stand a considerable amount of frost, 
while others, to which this had not been 
applied, were blackened and severely in- 
jured. It would seem that the soil for 
the time being had acquired a property 
equivalent to a certain degree of atmos- 
pheric temperature, or, rather, that the 
nourishment absorbed by the plants 
under such circumstances, had enabled 
them to resist a degree of cold that would 
otherwise have destroyed them. 
The fertility of the Isle of Jersey and 
the ability of the islanders to grow so 
much produce on a small area of ground 
is partly dueto the large quantities of 
19 
seaweed used there. Many kinds of fuci 
and alge are thrown up on her coast, and. 
there is, no doubt, a difference in the 
value of the numerous species, but there 
isno picking and choosing when the 
‘wrack’ harvest begins. As much as 10/ 
per ton is often paid there for seaweed. 
Seaweed varies considerably, some 
being far too coarse and heavy for the 
purposes mentioned, unless it has first 
had time for its partial decomposition. 
Preference is given to that of a finer and 
lighter character, which, collected, gener- 
ally contains a fair amount of sand, mak- 
ing it more suitable in every way for use 
in the garden, whether it be for aspara- 
gus, fruit-trees, or even ag a plunging 
pot-plants during the 
We have no statistics 
available respecting the comparative value 
of seaweed with farm-yard or artificial 
manures, and, as before stated, the value 
of the various kinds of seaweed must differ 
a little. : 
When burnt, and the ashes applied to 
the ground, it is good for all kinds of 
cereals. Seaweed is sometimes suffered 
to ferment before it is used, but this 
process is thought by some unnecessary, 
for there is no fibrous matter rendered 
soluble in the process, and a part of the 
manure is lost. A common plan is to 
mix it with atable manure, and let it lie 
for a while before using. The best results 
are generally obtained when used as fresh 
as it can be got. Some seaweed, which 
had been fermented, so as to have lost 
about half its weight, afforded less than 
one-twelfth of mucilaginous matter, from 
which it may be fairly concluded that 
some of this substance is lost in fermen- 
tation. The benefits of seaweed do not 
extend beyond one, or, at the most two, 
years, 
In a bulletin of the United States De- 
partment of Agriculture, it is stated that 
in New England some of the best farms 
are largely maintained by the use of 
seaweed. It is partially dried on the 
beach before being carted on to the land, 
so as to reduce the weight, and consequent 
cost of conveyance, but it is not con- 
sidered advisable to allow the weed to 
become quite dry, as it does not then 
readily decompose in the soil. Nor should 
material © for 
summer months. 
