SEAWEED AS FOOD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 6 December 1924, Page 13

SEAWEED AS FOOD.

Japan appears t-o be the only country where seaweed is cultivated for human consumption, as cereals and vegetables are cultivated in other parts of the world. It is said that some years ago, when portions of the coast were found to be denuded of marine vegetation, the Japanese Government took the matter in hand and planted the devastated regions with suitable varieties, mainly red laver. A crop of. this in good years is worth as much as £35 an acre. Still more profitable for seaweed farmers is agaragnr, which Japan exports in large quantities for the manufacture of isinglass. Coarse forms of seaweed are utilised by the Japanese for the manufacture of a variety of objects, such as clogs, picture frames, and electric switchboards, while, a substitute for cotton is made by blending the two kinds of seaweed called in Japanese “segumo” and “gomoguma.” Though the Channel Islanders do not cultivate seaweed, the Roval Courts of Jersey and Guernsey lay down strict .rules for the harvesting of “vraic,” and these are periodically posted about the towns and villages. It mav he cut only at stated seasons—during about five weeks in the early spring and during the. months of June, July, and August. Vraic—a brown seaweed, which crows thickly around the Channel Islands—is rich in potash, and forms an excellent fertilizer.