Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 17.djvu/821

* SEAWEED. 748 SEBASTIAN. inland, however, to a distance of from 8 to 10 miles, it is undoubtedly an economiiuil practice to allow tlie seaweed to dry partially on the beacU before carting it, but it i.s not advisable to allow it to dry out so thoroughly that it will not readily decompose in the soil. It should not be subjected to any eonsideraiile amount of fer- mentation or IcachinfT, since a large proportion of its valuable constituents — nitrogen and potash — wof.ld tlius be lost. On account of its bulk and walcriness, .seaweed nuisl be applied in very large amounts (20 to 80 tons per acre) in order to supply sufficient amounts of nitrogen, phos- ])horic acid, and potash for the needs of crops. The potash of seaweed, w'hich is probably its mo.st important fertilizing constituent, is sul)jeet to wide variation. Fresh seaweeil often contains 1 per cent, and more of this constituent, but it is soluble and is rapidly lost if tlie weed is sub- jected to washing. The lime is also very vari- able, owing to the adherence of shells, etc., but normally it is probably less than 1 per cent. Seaweed belongs to the same class of mainires as barnyard manure and green manures, and, like them, proves valuable on porous, sandy soils. It differs from average barnyard manure in its liigher percentage of potash and lower percentage of phosphoric acid. While, like barnyard ma- nure, it is a general fertilizer, it is not so well l)alanced, and since its continued use alone is likely to result in a one-sided exhaustion of the soil, hone or other phosphatic fertilizer should be applied with it. An advantage which seaweed has over barnyard manure is its freedom from weed seeds, insects, etc. Since it contains solu- ble potash, it is considered a potassie manure especially valuable for crops like potatoos, clover, etc., which are 'potash feeders.' The nitrogen of seaweed is in organic form, and is therefore not available to plants until decom- position and nitrification have taken place, proc- esses which usually occur rapidly in the soil. It may be applied fresh as a top-dressing (on grass) or may be plowed in. On account of the rapid decomposition, especially of the more suc- culent and mucilaginous kinds, seaweed fur- nishes a valuable means of starting fermentation in manure, compost heaps, peat, etc. Eel grass is about as rich in fertilizing constituents as the other kinds analyzed, but is of less actual fertilizing value because it decomposes slowly in the soil, for which reason it has been con- demned as a worthless manure, although valuable as a mulch. Its value as a fertilizer could no doubt be greatly increased by composting. The objections to the use of seaweed ashes as a fer- tilizer are the difficulty and expense of burning and the loss of nitrogen. Seaweed, when applied in the spring, has been found to injure the quality of potatoes, probably on account of the chlorine it contains. It also apparently delays maturity as compared with barnyard manure. It seems, how- ever, to reduce .scab when applied at planting. Undoubtedly the safest practice with potatoes and other plants injured by chlorine is to apply the sen weed the previous summer or fall. Con- sult Rhoilc Inland Experiment Station liiilhiiii 21; Transactions Eiphland and Agricultural So- cieti/, l.sns. p. lis-, A rtricult II ral Students' Ga- zette, new series 9 (1808), p. 41 ; Storer. Ar/rieul- turc in some of Its Relations with Chemistry (New York, 1897). SEA'WELL, Molly Elliot (I860—). An American author. She was born in Liloucestcr County, 'a., October 23, IStiO, and began to write at an early age. She piddisbcd her first novel in J8H9, but attracted wider public atten- tion in the following year by Little Jarvis, a. story for boys. Perhaps the most nolcworliiy of her novels is The Spriyhll;/ Itumunrv of Miirsao (18!Ki), a lively tale constructed on a I'rench luotlel. Others are Throckmorton^ Maid Marian, Children of Dcslini/, The Lores of the Ladi) Arn- hella. The House of hUjremont (ISllil), and The Fortunes of Fiji (190:1). Some of her juvenile stories have been very popular; the best of them is perhaps (Sarin Hamilton. SEB, or Keb. An Egyptian deity, identified by the Greeks with Cronos. (See Sati'H.n.) He was the husband of Nut (q.v. ), and is .sometimes called the father or leader of the gods, since he was the father of Isis, Osiris, Typlion, and Xephlhys. Seb plays but little part in Kgyptian mylhologj', excepting in the legend of the de- struction of mankind by Re. SEBAL'DtrS (?-801). A saint in the Ro- man Catholic Church, and one of the patron saints of Xurcmberg. lie is said to have been the son of a Danish king. He studied in Paris and, according to the tradition, married a daugh- ter of King Dagobert III., but on the day follow- ing their marriage the vows were dissolved, and for the ensuing years Sebaldus was a stern ascetic, and lived as a hermit in a forest near Nuremberg. He was buried in Saint Peter's Church at Nuremberg. He was canonized by Pope Jlartin V. in 1425. The day of his death. August IDtli. is still commemorated in Nuremberg. SEBASTE, See Samaria. SEBAS'TIAN, DoM (1554-78). . King of Portugal from 1557 to 1578. He was the post- humous son of the Infante John and succeeded his grandfather .John III. on the throne, under the guardianship of his graiid-unclc the Canlinal Henry. Ambitious of a conqueror's fanu> and de- siring also to further the spread of Christianity in Northern Africa. Sebastian took advantage of the internal disputes raging in Morocco to in- vade that country in the summer of 1578, but on August 4th the Portuguese army was almost annihilated at Kasr-el-Kebir (Alcazar Quivir) by the forces of the Sherif Muley-Malek. Sebas- tian was among the slain, hut his body was never found, or at least never satisfactorily identified, and this gave occasion for the appearance of several ])retenders. claiming to he the missing King, the most prominent of whom made himself known at Venice in 1598, and after a career of two years fell into the hands of the Spaniards, who probably put him to death. In pcqiular Portuguese legend. Sebastian is not dead, but will reappear to restore the people to their an- cient glory. Consult: Maehado. Memnrias para a, liistoria dc Portugal que comprehendem n governo del rey Dom Sehaslido (Lisbon, 1736- 51) ; d'Autas, Les faux Don Sfbastien (Paris, isr,5). SEBASTIAN (Lat. Sehastianus) . Saixt. A celebrated martyr of the early Church. Ilis his- tory is contained in the .ieta Saneli Sehasliani, which probably dates from the close of the fourth century, and is believed to embody in the main a trustworthy tradition. Sebastian, according