The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1895-05-30
SPONGE GARDENING.
PROFITABLE SEA FARMS ALONG THE
FLORIDA COAST.


ance Rendered tho Industry by tho Gov
ernincnt's Fish Commission
Ever since tho sponge fisheries of the
Bahamas and the gulf coast of Florida
showed signs of becoming exhausted eff
forts have been made to cultivate sponges
on farms or artificial beds, and more re-
Gently science has tried to initiate tho
genuine article by converting the soft
fiber Of tho coooanut leaves and shells
into sponges Of commercial yalue.
Sponge farming is now successful in
dustry, and hundreds Of acres in tho gulf
Of Mexico along tho Florida coast are
planted with "sponge cuttings" and
seeds Tho work is not dissimilar in
many respects to oyster culture The
young sponges are planted in water
along the coast varying from one 10 five
fathoms in dopth
A few years ago the fish commits
Sioners had their attention called to the
sponge fisheries off tho Florida coast,
and after finding that the beds were be-
ing rapidly depleted of the best stock,
an examination of tho fisheries was made
to ascertain some way of preserving
them. The specimens of sponge taken to
Washington i'll tho autumn of tho year
were found to DO reproductive if the
proper conditions wcro supplied The
sponges III tho autumn wcro found to de-
velop masses of protoplasm or spores,
which i'll tho spring of the year weru lib
Grated These spores contained tho small
1-pn obi al A..
sponges developed Some of the sponges
experimental with did not reproduce
their kind ut all, and it was found that
i'll order to cultivate tho spongcs it was
necessary to plant sponges that pro-
duced certain coils that contained tho
ova or egg and others that represented
spermatoZOa.
A small sponge farm was established
Mt Washington. and then others along
the Florida coast as experiments These
proved successful. SO that private indi-
ylduals went into the business. There
are many acres of sponge farms near
Key West, and others ut Ancloto, Fla.
and near Tampa These farms were first
supplied with their seeds from the fish
commissioners. but now they arc OBJ
tanned direct from the sponge fisheries.
In the autumn of the year the various
kinds of sponges are purchased by the
sponge culturist who generally takes an
assortment that is sure to supply him
with both the male and female cells.
The beds, or farms, arc usually locat-
ed at some we'll protected place along
the coast and fenced i'll with natural for
nations and artificial dams The sponge
seeds are kept in small pounds"
through the winter, where the masses Of
protoplnsm develop and grow. Early in
the spring these spores are liberated in
the larger body of water, where they
soon swim around The eggs continue to
grow rapidly, and in q short time attach
themselves to the rocks CIR coral forma-
ton ut the bottom of the water.
1t is very difficult to GEE the right
location for an ideal sponge bed An
arm Of the sea where the salt water
flows i'll freely that has natural hard
bottom is the best Rocks, stones and
other substances cnn be dropped at the
bottom for the sponges to fusten them
selves to- The lagoon is then damned
up, so that when the seed is put in fresh
1T cannot float out to SEQ again Some
simply throw their sponges III such d
lagoon i'll the fall Of the year and let the
protoplasm develop there Under proper
cultivation the sponges thus raised are
superior to those found in the sea Only
the best varieties ore propagated The
"sheepswool" is the choicest, with o tex
ture fine, soft and strong. These sponges
sell for from 81. so to $3 pound The
yellow sponge IS next in quality, and
its price is much less than tho Sleeps
wool " The grass" sponge raised is
very limited. for its value is too small
to pay one for the trouble
After the sponge farm is once started
there is little more to do with it except
at harvesting time The sponges grow
slowly and usually three years elapse be-
fore any are pulled up Then only the
choicest, full grown ones are gathered
The others are left to produce new seeds
and to reach larger size. The picking
OF sponges in n farm of this nature is
much simpler than to raise them from
the deep waters of the gulf Armed with
long loaded pole a boalnan can easily
haul up the sponges that he needs, and
III the course Of day he could gather
three times the quantity pulled up by
the regular sponge fishermen off the
coast The water is comparatively shall
low over the artificial beds, and not dis
turbed by tides, floating debris or winds
1t is also very clear and pellucid, so that
one can see the bottom for long dis
lance down Occasionally one finds q
sponge farm where deep sea sponges are
cultivated, and it is necessary, then. to
have diver 20 gather them. Here again
the work is made easier. The diver runs