COMMERCIAL SPONGES 



741 



Unbleached sheepswool sponges are used for washing railroad cars, automo- 

 biles, and other vehicles, and are popular among tile and bricklayers, painters, 

 decorators, potters, tanners, etc. Key wool, on account of its softness, is said to 

 be particularly desirable for lithographers. When bleached, they are used princi- 

 pally for bath and household purposes. The best sheepswool sponges are the 

 "Rock Island" sponges from the west coast of Florida; the successively less valu- 



FiG. 35-1. The sheepswool 

 sponge from the Florida 

 Keys. 



{Coiotesy U. S. Fish and Wildlife 

 Service) 



able grades are those from the Florida Keys, Bahama Islands, and Cuba. Those 

 from Mexico, Honduras, and other localities in the Caribbean are inferior. 



Yellow Sponges. Yellow sponges are the next most valuable sponges of the 

 western Atlantic because of their abundance and wide distribution, although their 

 unit price is a little lower than that of the velvet sponge. They are the most elastic 

 and resilient of American sponges, with the exception of Anclote grass, but are 

 harder than sheepswool, harsher to the touch, less absorbent, less retentive of 

 water, and less durable. They are regular in shape, attractive in appearance, and 

 reach a maximum diameter of about 18 inches. The color is yellow or yellowish 

 brown, those from some localities being tinged with rusty red. The surface is 

 devoid of the long fibrous filaments characteristic of the sheepswool, and is cov- 

 ered with a nap of short bristles of uniform length. 



In their natural state yellow sponges are used for many of the same purposes 

 as the sheepswool, but are distinctly inferior where durability, softness, and a 

 copious water content are required, as in washing vehicles. Owing to their hard- 

 ness and comparatively harsh surface they are said to be particularly useful for 

 scouring. The best of the yellow sponges, the softest and most durable, come 

 from the vicinity of Matecumbe Key. Other yellow sponges on the market come 

 from the west coast of Florida ("Anclote yellow"), the Bahamas, and Cuba. They 



