Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1896-10-02

to defend their means OF uVellnOOu 20 Gne
uttermost. They are the sort of men who
shoot on occasion, and the least they
would do.would be to destroy the boats
and other apparatus of any scientific
sponge farmer who attempted to invade
what they consider their territory.
Furthermore, they profess the convic-
ton that the artificial propagation of
sponges is wholly impracticable. In this
idea they are wrong, If any faith Is to be
put in the experts of the United States
fish commission, who claim to have proved
their theories by careful experiments.
They assert that if proper measures were
taken the sponge fishery of Florida could
be restored to the highest productiveness
within a few years. Unquestionably
considerable appropriation of money would
be required but it would be trifling COM
ed crops.
The sponge reproduces its species by
means of spores, corresponding to eggs,
which are set free in the water. After be-
ing Matched the young ones swim about
for awhile, eventually attaching them
selves to a rock or other object
The mature sponge also produces little
buds, which detach themselves from the
their own account. The scientific cultur-
list, however, makes use Of neither OF these
natural processes. = s@-,."'
The method he adopts Is extremely sim
pie, though requiring care and skill. Tray
cling over the fishing grounds In boat,
he pulls the sponges to the surface with
hook on the end of long pole. The fresh
~ tackled sponge is not taken out Of the
water, but is held beneath the surface
while the operator cuts it into pieces.
The knife used Is as sharp as razor, SO
that as little injury as possible shall be
done to the tissues of the sponge. The ami
NAL is cut up in such a manner chat each
piece shall retain part of the original ex-
ternal surface. Finally, each fragment Is
fastened to bit of stone by wire, and Is
then dropped to the bottom.
In shoal water an easier and preferable
method is to thrust q small splinter of
wood through each fragment and stick 1t
into the bottom. In this way number
of sponges are made out Of a single sponge.
Some of the fragmentary ones die, but the
great majority Of them survive. For three
or four months they seem to be sickly, but
at the end Of that time they recover and
begin to grow with surprising rapidity.
The planting must always be done where
the sponges will not be- rolled about by the
waves.
There are thousands Of species Of sponges,
but only half q dozen have any CONNER
oial value. There used to be much dispute
az to whether these creatures were animal
or vegetable, but science has decided them
to belong to the former kingdom, being
very low down and degraded relatives Of
the corals.
The fact is that a sponge, like the coral,
is q colony Of little animals which occupy
q sort Of apartment house together. The
animals are called "polyps," and, each of
them being both male and female, every
individual in the continuity is In q POSI-
ton to rear family on It's own hook. The
sponge In nature is heshy and somewhat
jellylike body. Only the skeleton figures
in commerce. The commercial spongee
have horny skeletons, but there are ever
80 many species which have glasslike or
nmy frames.
The next time you use sponge examine
it, and you will find that the surface is COW
cred with holes. Toward the top these
holes are much larger. The whole mass Is
pervaded by system Of channels. When
the animal Is alive, water is kept con-
stantly flowing through these channels BY
means Of minute, hairlike appendages,
which the little polyps agitate. The water
10 thus drawn In through tho small holes
and elected from the big holes at the top.
1t brings with it animalcules and other
food that Is required for the support Of the
colony. The channels above described are
the streets and alleyways Of the polyp
town. II you look at living sponge in
shallow water, you will see that there is a
continual bubbling above it, caused by the
income and outgo Of the water through
the canals.-New York Journal.