﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  273 
  

  

  while 
  dnriug 
  the 
  warm 
  season 
  it 
  will 
  he 
  found 
  pioHtahlc 
  to 
  -wait 
  a 
  litUe 
  iu 
  order 
  to 
  

   see 
  wlicther 
  there 
  are 
  any 
  indications 
  of 
  putrefaction. 
  This 
  can 
  he 
  recognized 
  hy 
  

   the 
  darker 
  color 
  and 
  the 
  softening 
  of 
  the 
  respective 
  portions. 
  If 
  anything 
  of 
  the 
  

   kind 
  is 
  noticed, 
  the 
  sponge 
  should 
  he 
  watched 
  to 
  see 
  to 
  what 
  extent 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  

   disintegration 
  has 
  progresse<l. 
  Small 
  sponges 
  will 
  almost 
  entirely 
  fall 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  it, 
  

   while 
  in 
  large 
  ones 
  the 
  evil 
  may 
  he 
  confined 
  within 
  certain 
  limits. 
  The 
  cutting 
  

   should 
  be 
  done 
  rapidly, 
  either 
  with 
  a 
  common 
  knife 
  or 
  — 
  as 
  Mr. 
  liuccich 
  found 
  more 
  

   advantageous 
  — 
  with 
  a 
  blade 
  resembling 
  a 
  fine 
  saw, 
  which 
  is 
  less 
  liable 
  to 
  be 
  injured 
  

   by 
  the 
  many 
  foreign 
  bodies 
  inclosed 
  in 
  .sponges. 
  In 
  cutting, 
  the 
  si)onge 
  had 
  l)est 
  be 
  

   laid 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  board 
  moistened 
  with 
  sea 
  water. 
  The 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  cuttings 
  is 
  gener- 
  

   ally 
  about 
  26 
  square 
  millimeters. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  if 
  every 
  piece 
  lias 
  as 
  large 
  a 
  surface 
  as 
  

   possible 
  of 
  intact 
  outer 
  skin. 
  The 
  cuttings 
  should 
  be 
  fastened 
  immediately 
  to 
  those 
  

   objects 
  where 
  they 
  are 
  expected 
  to 
  grow. 
  

  

  A 
  healthy 
  piece 
  of 
  sponge 
  soon 
  grows 
  firmly 
  ou 
  any 
  object 
  with 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  brought 
  

   in 
  close 
  contact. 
  The 
  sponges 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  cut 
  will 
  again 
  grow 
  together. 
  

   Those 
  cuttings 
  which 
  have 
  only 
  a 
  single 
  cut 
  surface 
  will 
  soon 
  grow 
  fast 
  to 
  their 
  now 
  

   hase, 
  stone, 
  wood, 
  etc. 
  Mr. 
  Buccich 
  thinks 
  that 
  during 
  a 
  calm 
  lasting 
  twenty-four 
  

   consecutive 
  hours, 
  cuttings 
  should 
  simply 
  be 
  sowed 
  on 
  a 
  rocky 
  bottom 
  and 
  would 
  soon 
  

   grow. 
  He 
  has 
  seen 
  pieces 
  laid 
  on 
  gently 
  slanting 
  rocks 
  grow 
  fast 
  to 
  themtlnring 
  

   a 
  perfect 
  calm. 
  Induced 
  thereby, 
  and 
  also 
  by 
  the 
  natural 
  occurrence 
  of 
  sponges, 
  

   Mr. 
  Buccich 
  tried 
  flag.stones, 
  about 
  53 
  millimeters 
  thick, 
  as 
  a 
  basis. 
  He 
  bored 
  holes 
  

   iu 
  them 
  and 
  fastened 
  the 
  cuttings 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  wooden 
  pegs, 
  which 
  were 
  driven 
  into 
  

   the 
  holes; 
  but 
  it 
  soon 
  became 
  apparent 
  that 
  the 
  mud 
  and 
  sand 
  at 
  the 
  bottom, 
  ]»er- 
  

   haps 
  also 
  thti 
  excess 
  of 
  light, 
  were 
  injurious 
  to 
  the 
  further 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  sponges. 
  

   Experience 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  light 
  and 
  mud 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  worst 
  enemies 
  of 
  the 
  

   sponge, 
  and 
  their 
  influence 
  must 
  be 
  avoided 
  or 
  limited 
  hy 
  every 
  possible 
  means. 
  

   Stones 
  form 
  the 
  natural 
  basis 
  of 
  sponges. 
  They 
  are 
  cheap, 
  and 
  arc 
  not 
  attacked 
  by 
  

   the 
  Teredo. 
  

  

  Originally, 
  Prof. 
  O. 
  Schmidt 
  used 
  wooden 
  boxes, 
  closed 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  but 
  perforated, 
  

   to 
  whose 
  inner 
  sides 
  the 
  pieces 
  of 
  sponge 
  were 
  fastened 
  with 
  metal 
  or 
  wooden 
  pegs. 
  

   This 
  exceedingly 
  simple 
  arrangement 
  did 
  not 
  prove 
  efficient, 
  because 
  the 
  boxes 
  when 
  

   let 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  deep 
  water 
  became 
  full 
  of 
  nnid, 
  and 
  the 
  holes 
  being 
  stopped 
  up 
  no 
  

   light 
  whatever 
  could 
  enter. 
  The 
  sponges 
  began 
  to 
  look 
  pale 
  and 
  sickly. 
  It 
  is 
  not 
  

   good 
  to 
  fasten 
  them 
  with 
  metal 
  pegs, 
  for 
  it 
  seemed 
  to 
  retard 
  their 
  growth. 
  The 
  rust 
  

   which 
  forms 
  very 
  soon 
  causes 
  the 
  pieces 
  of 
  sponge 
  to 
  become 
  loose, 
  and 
  will 
  ulti- 
  

   mately 
  destroy 
  them. 
  Laths 
  or 
  hoards 
  placed 
  obliquely, 
  on 
  whoso 
  upper 
  side 
  there 
  

   were 
  floating 
  contrivances 
  in 
  the 
  shape 
  of 
  tables, 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  side 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  

   sponges 
  were 
  fastened, 
  were 
  likewise 
  used. 
  With 
  the 
  former 
  the 
  want 
  of 
  covering 
  

   was 
  keenly 
  felt, 
  and 
  with 
  the 
  latter 
  the 
  rays 
  of 
  the 
  sun 
  proved 
  injurious, 
  as 
  Avell 
  as 
  

   all 
  the 
  different 
  little 
  objects 
  floating 
  on 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  water, 
  which 
  may 
  he 
  

   grouped 
  together 
  under 
  the 
  collective 
  name 
  of 
  "dirt." 
  Mr. 
  linccich 
  at 
  first 
  i)reparod 
  

   an 
  apparatus 
  consisting 
  of 
  two 
  boards 
  crossing 
  each 
  other 
  at 
  right 
  angles, 
  with 
  a 
  

   third 
  board 
  serving 
  as 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  lid, 
  and 
  after 
  this 
  had 
  i»rovcd 
  unsatisfactory 
  he 
  

   adopted 
  the 
  apparatus 
  which 
  I 
  shall 
  now 
  describe, 
  and 
  which 
  ho 
  preferred 
  to 
  all 
  

   others 
  because 
  the 
  cuttings 
  were 
  exposed 
  on 
  all 
  sides 
  to 
  the 
  sea 
  water 
  and 
  assumed 
  

   the 
  favorite 
  round 
  form. 
  This 
  apparatus 
  consisted 
  of 
  two 
  boards, 
  (i3 
  centimeters 
  long 
  

   and 
  40 
  centimeters 
  broad, 
  one 
  forming 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  ihe 
  other 
  the 
  lid. 
  Both 
  were 
  

   kept 
  in 
  a 
  parallel 
  position, 
  one 
  above 
  the 
  other, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  42 
  centi- 
  

   meters, 
  by 
  two 
  props 
  about 
  11 
  centimeters 
  distant 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  between 
  which 
  

   stones 
  may 
  be 
  placed 
  as 
  ballast. 
  On 
  the 
  outer 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  lid 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  handle. 
  

   Both 
  boards 
  had 
  holes 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  12 
  centimeters 
  from 
  each 
  other, 
  the 
  total 
  

   number 
  of 
  holes 
  in 
  each 
  board, 
  therefore, 
  being 
  24. 
  Air. 
  Buccich 
  <lid 
  not 
  fasten 
  the 
  

   pieces 
  of 
  sponge 
  singly 
  to 
  the 
  apparatus, 
  but 
  he 
  placed 
  several 
  of 
  them 
  on 
  one 
  peg 
  

   and 
  then 
  stuck 
  the 
  pegs 
  iu.the 
  holes. 
  For 
  these 
  pegs 
  h.^ 
  used 
  bamboo, 
  whose 
  hard, 
  

   smooth 
  bark 
  defies 
  all 
  attacks 
  of 
  worms. 
  'These 
  pegs 
  were 
  42 
  centimeters 
  l.)ng, 
  and 
  

   perforated 
  horizontally, 
  the 
  holes 
  being 
  at 
  the 
  distance 
  of 
  12 
  centimeters 
  from 
  each 
  

   F. 
  R. 
  l)G 
  18 
  

  

  