The Twin City star. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1910-19??, 1910-07-21

N THAT eager search for the
secret Of life-never more jealous
ly prosecuted than in our day,
and never with more startling and
battling results-the lowest forms
of living organizations take on
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
to 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 clcsely 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 luxuries. Chief among these are
the sponges, perhaps the very lowest
Of the PROTOCOL" The long contro-
versy as to whether they were animal
or vegetable has been terminated by
assigning them to the higher rank;
but they betray a surprising number
of points of resemblance with the
plants. both in life and death.
To begin with, they effect reproduc-
ton Of their kind by gemmation, or
budding, and by true ova or eggs. The
United States government has recent.
ly published a learned little pamph-
let by North Carolina professor on
the feasibility Of raising sponges from
the eggs" 1t 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
sponge, and swim off into the big
world as larvae, propelling themselves
ty the slender hair-like processes of
protoplasm or ella, with which their
solid, oval little bodies are covered.
In size they frequently attain the
length of millimeter, one-twenty-fifth
of an inch. When bred in the labora.
tory this wandering existence lasts
only day or two; the infant navigator
soon anchors himself to some firm
basis, loses his ella and his oval farm
and flattens down into a minute In.
crustation on the rock or other base
spreading out into an irregular shape.
THIS becomes q true sponge in funda.
mental structure, but without repro
ductivs organs, and the length Of time
required to reach the adult stage IL
not yet known.
If living sponge is cut with knife
and the severed portions placed to
gether even in a new position, they
speedily reunite; but II the portions
are Of different species, no such union
it is said, ever takes place. II the in
dividunl sponges are brought together
they slso coalesce into one, thar
which nothing more confusing in the
case cf an animal can be conceived
On tho other hand, the strong ammo
nfacal odor of the dying sponges OF
the decks of the fishing vessel woult
the decks of the fishing vessels would
serve. to convince beyond doubt the
least 8ensitive nostrils that this was
indeed animal life.
In the Levant fisheries, on the coasts
of Canada, Barbary and Syria, the
depth of the water necessitates diving
the diver maintaining his connection
with fhe boat by cord attached to
q fiat, triangular piece Of stone which
he takes down with him. These east.
ern 81 onges are much superior In
quality to those from the West In.
dies and the coast of Florida. The
Greek fisheries of the Morea use fiat
five OF six pronged instrument, and
generally injured their sponges by
tearing, II IL said.
The American Sponges are classified
as follows by the spongers and buy
ers: Sheepswool, yellow, grass, vel
vet or boat, and glove, with a few 9th
er unimportant varieties. The aver
age value per pound in 1900 was $751;
for sheepswool, SO cents for yellow, "a
cents for grass and 81 cents for all
others. The total yield Of the sponge
fishery for this year was 418,125
pounds, with total value OF $567. 685.
This yield II not sufficient to meet the
demand, and large quantities are i'm
ported every year, the greater part
coming from the Bahama islands.
Cuba, Haiti, Greece, Austria-H Hungary
ami Turkey. During 1900 there was