The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-07-21

n secret OF life--ncver more Jealous.
III ly prosecuted than In our day,
and never with more startling and
battling results--the lowest forms
of living organizations take on a
new interest as apparently leading us
nearer and nearer TO the narrow por-
tai In that thin partition which sepa-
rates the things that live from all
others The claims which have been
made that science has been able to
compel inert substances to pass
through this portal and to live are yet
20 be verified In the capacious and
sheltered bosom of the deep sea is
found the home of very many OF these
mysteries. and may perhaps be found
their solution and the beginning of
living. Meanwhile. without inquiring
too closely into their genesis, prac-
teal man has laid violent hands on
many of these humber brethren and
made them subject to his daily needs
and Injuries. Chief among these are
the sponges. perhaps the very lowest
of the Protozoa" The long contro.
versy ms to whether they were animal
or vegetable has been terminated by
assigning them to the higher rank,
but they betray surprising number
of points OF resemblance with the
plants. both in life and death.
To begin with they effect reproduc
ton ol their kind by gemmatIon, OF
ytI Ia mr. hF
United States government has recent
~ published learned little pamph
let Ivy a North Carolina professor on
the feasibility OF raising sponges from
the eggs" II seems that the two sexes
are found combined in one individual
The eggs in great number, are dis
charged through the large apertures
called Oscula, on the surface Of the
snonec. and swim OFF into the bis
world as larvae. propelling themselves
ly the slender hair-like processes o
protoplasm or ella, with which thei'
In size they frequently attain th'
length of milimetcr, one-twenty-flftl
OF an inch When bred in the labora
tory this wandering existence last
only a day or two: the infant navigate
soon anchors himself 10 some firm
basis. loses his ella and his oval farm
and nattons down into minute in
yrustatton on the rock or other base
spreading out into an irregular shape
This becomes a true sponge in funda
mental structure, but without repro
dIctiyc organs. and the length OF tim
required to reach the adult stage i
not yet known.
II a living sponge is cut with knit
and the severed portions placed t
gethtr. even In new position, the
speedily reunite; but II the portion
are OF different species, no such union
il IL said. ever takes place. If the II
dividual sponges are brought togethe
they also coalesce into one, tina
which nothing more confusing In tn
case OF an animal can be conceived
On the other hand, the strong amm
riacal odor of the dying sponges q
the decks of the fishing vessel woul
tie decks of the fishing vessels woul
serve 10 convince beyond doubt ii
least sensitive nostrils that this WI
Indeed animal life.
In the Levant fisheries. on the coas
oil Canada. Barbary and Syria, II
depth OF the water necessitates divin
the diver maintaining his connectic
with the boat by cord attached
a fat. triangular piece of stone while
he takes down with him. These cas-
ern sponges are much superior
uaIity to those from the West |
dies and the coast Of Florida. TT
Creek fisheries of the Morea use n
five or six pronged instrument, al
generally injured their sponges
tearing. It is said.
The American Sponges are classih'
as follows by the spongers and bu
era; Sheepswool. yellow. grass, "
vet or boat. and glove, with few OF
or unimportant varieties. The ave
age value per pound In 1900 was 81.
for sheepswool, SO cents for yellow.
cents for grass and 81 cents for
others, The total yield of the spon
fishery for this year was 41S,l2
mounds. with a total value of 1857 Ga
This yield is not sufficient to meet
demand, and large quantities are /
ported every year, the greater pa
coming from the Bahama islant
Cuba. Haiti, Greece. Austria-Hunga
and Turkey. During 1900 there W