The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1897-03-12
SPONGE CULTURE.
A Proposal to Garry It On by
Artificial Means.
Reckless Fishing Threatening TO Erter-
inmate the Natural supply of
the Great Producing
CenrPr..

Several causes have recently com
bined 10 reduce the supply of sponees
IN the American market The paralysis
of ali industry in Cuba in consequt nee
of the civil war now prevailing there
IL one Of them The West Indies. ia
hamas and Florida are the principal
centers of production IN this part o. the
world Reckless fishing. " hich threat
ems 20 eNterminate the sponges. much
a. similar proceedings do the seals of
the coast of Alaska. Is another factor IN
the situation These facts lend
peculiar interest to the propo-
sItion recently made to :he
United States government, through
lis consular agent al Mitylene, by
Greek named Charalampos ChorphiCs,
TO establish the business Of artificial!y
cultINaiIEg SpongeS somew here on the
Florida coast, if ne can get a copces-
sion \ great deal has been done in the
past under the auspices Of the national
and state fishery commissions. toward
restocking American lakes and rivers
with trout. bass, shad and salmon. with
small fry hatehed and nurtured under
human management. Artif fetal means,
too have much To do with the culture
Of the oyster and the maintenance of
the supply Of that bivalve But the
reasonahleness OF the project of Nj
Chrophios does not rest alone on these
precedents. ItchyOlogical experts IN
Washington are said TO have shown
confidence in its practicability They
say 1hat 10y taking proper measures The
Florida sponge fisheries could be
brought 10 a higher state OF productive
ness in a few years The men already
engaged in the industry might not.
however. relish this Interference in lee
half Of the public.
1 h tough. soft elastic. fibrous moss
which Is Ia be had al the druggists I'M
der the name of sponge. * really the
skeleton which once supported whole
colony of jelIy-like creatures which
have built up that structure. These
propagate naturally. in two ways, by
means OF spores OF egg and by the
formation of buds which eventually
split of from the maturo polyp. The
scientific sponge culturist proceeds on
"a plan which utilizes both of :hose
methods. hut j. like common practice
~ horticulture lie simply cuts up Inc
tenement house Of colony into 4 num-
her of pieces. employing a sharp snife
OF razor for the purpose. and conduct
ing the operation while the pulpy mass
= StiIl under water He Is also careful
to leave portion of the original cuter
surface on each fragment Each bit
may then be loaded with small s-oue
or other SlnEer TO take II to the bottom
again \ few of these sections fall 10
revive: but the great majority. after
an interval of two or three months. be
gan to thrive and eventually grow 10 a
considerable size.
There are hundreds of distinct sFe-
cies Of sponges. but scarcely a dozen are
suited In mans use II is asserted that
those which are obtained from MedI-
terranean waters are the finest in the
world; Vet the delicate Sleeps woo,''
and velvet sponges Of Florida are
wonders of softneSs and beauty. And
If a system OF artificial culture should
/ come into vogue these choice varieties
could be produced almost as abundant
| ly as TIE coarSer grades are now.-N.
Y Tribune