The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1895-05-16
SPONGE GARDENING.
PROFITABLE SEA FARMS ALONG THE
FLORIDA COAST.

Ever since the sponge fisheries Of the
Bahamas and the gulf coast Of Florida
showed signs Of becoming exhausted ef-
forts have been made to cultivate sponges
on farms or artificial beds, and more re-
Gently science has tried to initiate the
genuine article by converting the soft
fiber of the cocoanut leaves and shells
into sponges Of commercial value.
Sponge farming is now successful in
dustry, and hundreds of acres in the gulf
Of Mexico along the Florida coast are
planted with sponge cuttings" and
seeds The work is not dissimilar in
many respects to oyster culture. The
young sponges are planted in water
along the coast varying from one to five
fathoms In depth
A few years ago the fish commits
sioners had their attention called to the
sponge fisheries off the Florida coast.
and after finding that the beds were be-
ing rapidly depleted of the best stock,
an examination of the fisheries was made
to ascertain some way Of preserving
them The specimens of sponge taken to
Washington in the autumn of the year
WGAC 4OA1n W AUHAOAANAAN6 "A AAAN
proper conditions were supplied. The
sponges i'll the autumn We're found to de-
velOp masses of protoplasm or spores,
which in the spring of the year were lib
Grated These spores contained the small
reproductive particles from which the
| sponges developed. Some of the sponges
experimental with did not reproduce
their kind at all. and it was found that
/ in order to cultivate the sponges il was
necessary to plant sponges that pro-
duced certain cells that contained the
1 ova or egg and others that represented
spermatozoa.
A small sponge farm was established
I at Washington, and then others along
/ the Florida coast rs experiments. These
/ proved successful. so that private indi-
viduals went into the business. There
I are many acres Of sponge farms near
Key West, and others mt Anclote, Fla,
and near Tampa These farms were first
I supplied with their seeds from the fish
commissioners, but now they are OBJ
tanned direct from the sponge fisheries.
/ In the autumn of tho year the various
/ kinds of sponges are purchased by the
1 sponge culturist, who generally takes an
/ assortment that is sure to supply him
/ with both the male and female cells
/ The beds, or farms, are usually locat-
I ed at some well protected place along
4 the coast and fenced i'll with natural for
nations and artificial dams. The sponge
1 seeds are kept in small pounds"
+ through the winter, where the masses Of
/ protoplasm 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
1 grow rapidly, and in short time attach
/ themselves to the rocks or coral forna-
I tiOn at the bottom of the water
1t is very difficult to get the right
/ location for an ideal sponge bed An
arm of the sea where the salt water
/ flows in freely that has u natural hard
bottom is the best. Rocks, stones and
4 other substances can be dropped at the
bottom for the spOnges to fasten them
selves to. The lagoon is then damned
/ mp, so that when the seed is put in fresh
1T cannot float out to sea again. Some
/ simply throw their sponges in such a
lagoon in the fall of the year and let the
! protoplasm develop rhere. Under proper
4 cultivation the spOnges thus raised are
4 superior TO those found in the sea Only
the best varieties are propagated- The
"sheepswool" is the choicest, with a tex
ture fine, soft and strong. These sponges
/ sell for from 81. so to $3 a pound The
yellow sponge is next in quality, and
! its price is much less than the "sheens-
wool The grass" sponge RAISED is
very limited, for its value is too small
to pay one for the trouble
liter the sponge farm is once started
there is little more to do with il except
I at harvesting time. The sponges grow
1 slowly and usually three years elapse be-
fore any are pulled up. Then only the
choicest, full grown ones are gathered
| The others are LETT to produce new seeds
and TO reach la ger size. The picking
1 OF spOnges in arm Of this nature is
mnch simpler ! 81 to raise them from
the deep waters - the gulf Armed with
long loaded poIs boatman can easily
haul up the sporgeS that he needs, and
in the course of day he could gather
three times the quantity pulled up bv
the regular spoEge fishermen off the
coast The water s comparatively shall
low over the artific al beds, and not dis
turbed by tides, floating debris or winds.
1t is also very clea- and pellucid, so that
one can see the bottom for long dis
tance down Occasionally one finds n
sponge farm where deep sea sponges are
cultivated, and it is necessary, then, to
have diver 10 gather them. Here again
the work is made easier The diver runs
no risk from sharks, tides or other in
conveniences that daily beset those off
/ the coast.
The value Of the sponge farm increases
every year despite the annual harvest
that Is taken therefrom. The new
sponges are spreading until every square
inch Of the bottom and sides of the pond
are covered with young and old sponges.