The Portland daily press., 1896-09-12
OCEAN TENEMENTS.
Sponges Are Hives of Industry, With
Streets and Alleys.


Streets and Alleys.
How These Strange Animals subsist and
Perpetuate Their species-Artificial Gull
ture In Florida Waters-Opposition Of
Fishermen.
The department of state at Washington
has received through the consular agent
at Mytilene a communication from Char
alampos Chorphios who calls himself
merchant and fisherman of sponges. -
This Greek gentleman desires to obtain
concession which shall enable him to prop
agate sponges in the waters Of Florida
He understands the artificial culture of
these animals, and he proposes to bring
chinery Incidentally he is willing to in
struct American citizens in the art Of
propagating sponges, which he believes
will tend to the development of the pub
lie richness. ~
1t is his opinion that the waters of Flor
ida can be made to supply the world with
sponges. He offers to pay into the treas
ury 10 per cent of the proceeds Of his in
dustry during 90 years, at the end Of which
time he will turn over to the government
all his machinery, boats, ETC.
For many years past it has been realized
that something ought to be done in the
way of sponge culture in Florida waters.
The natural supply of these animals is di-
minishing at an alarming rate, owing to
overfshing. In fact, they are we'll nigh
threatened with determination.
Being stationary and incapable Of flight
they are wiped out by sure handed slaugh-
ter. The evil is not beyond repair, mas
much as sponges can be propagated almost
| as easily as oysters, but seemingly in
surmountable obstacle is presented by the
| professional fishermen, who will not toler-
ate grants Of marine areas for the purpose
Of such culture. They say that grants of
the kind would soon place the fishery in
the hands of monopolists.
| These toilers of the sea are determined
| to defend their means Of livelihood to the
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-
tion 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 pro- ed
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 few years Unouestionably a
considerable appropriation Of money would
be required, but 1t would be trifiing com.
pared with the cash value of tne augment.
ed crops.
The sponge reproduces it's species by
means of spores, corresponding to eggs
which are set free in the water. After be.
ing Matched the young one- swim about
for awhile, eventually attaching them
selves to rock or other object
The mature sponge also produces little
buds, which detach themselves from the
parent and float away to begin life or
their own account The scientific cultur
list, however, makes use of neither of these
natural processes.
The method be adopts is extremely sim
pie, though requiring care and skill. Tray
cling over the fishing grounds in a boat
he pulls the sponges to the surface with {
hook on the end Of a long pole. The fresh
1y 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, 81
that as little injury as possible shall bt
done to the tissues of the sponge. The ami
NAL is cut up in such manner that eacl
piece shall retain part of the original ex
ternal surface. Finally, each fragment Il
fastened to bit Of stone by wire, and i.
then dropped to the bottom.
In shoal water an easier and preferable
method is to thrust small splinter O.
wood through each fragment and stick i
into the bottom. In this way numbel
of sponges are made out OF single sponge
Some of the fragmentary ones die, but th'
great majority Of them survive For thre,
or four months they seem to be sickly, bu
at the end Of that time they recover ant
begin to grow with surprising rapidity
The planting must always be done wher,
the sponges will not be rolled about by th,
waves.
There are thousands of species Of sponges
but only half a dozen have any CONNER
cial value. There used to be much dispute
as to whether these creatures were anima
or vegetable, but science has decided then
to belong to the former kingdom, being
very low down and degraded relatives o
the corals.
The fact ia that sponge, like the coral
; is a colony Of little animals which occup,
a sort Of apartment house together. TIL
animals are called "polyps," and, each o
them being both male and female, ever,
individual In the community is in a posi-
! tion to rear family on its own hook. Th
sponge in nature is ffeshy and somewha
jellylike body. Only the skeleton figure
in commerce. The commercial sponge
have horny skeletons, but there are eve
SO many species which have glasslike o
limy frames.
! The next time you use sponge examin
it, and you will find that the surface is GOV
cred with holes Toward the top thes
holes are much larger. The whole mass /
pervaded by system OF channels Whel
the animal is alive, water is kept con
stantly flowing through these channels b
means of minute, hairlike appendages
which the little polyps agitate. The waite
4 T. 4 4