SPONGES AND THE SPONGE INDUSTRY 327 



sponges are taken in the sponge fields around these 

 islands. 



In 1849 the fishery extended to Florida. The initial 

 shipment was sold in New York, but it narrowly 

 missed being thrown away as worthless. The develop- 

 ment of this fishery was very slow indeed, probably 

 because of the low price of the product. But with the 

 introduction of divers in 1905, and the discovery of 

 sponges of better quality, the industry has grown 

 until now the annual value of the raw product is 

 about a million dollars. The bulk of the product con- 

 sists of sheepswool sponges. The Cuban sponge 

 fishery became of importance in 1884< when im- 

 portant sponge beds were discovered between the 

 main island and the Isle of Pines. Batabano is the 

 center of the sponge fishery. 



Few persons except those who have lived on the 

 shores of a tropical sea would recognize a common 

 bath sponge if they were to see it in its natural 

 environment. In fact many would mistake it for a 

 piece of raw beef liver, for it is a fleshy body, slimy 

 to the touch, varying in color from grayish yellow 

 through various shades of brown to black. All shapes 

 and sizes are found, depending upon the species, age, 

 and habitat. 



A living sponge has a skin which is raised at in- 

 tervals into blunt little cones, and perforated by 

 pores that lead to canals running into the interior. 

 The walls of the canals are punctured by innumer- 

 able minute holes, each of which leads into a tiny 

 pear-shaped chamber and thence into another canal 



