﻿274 
  REPORT 
  OF 
  COMMISSIONER 
  OF 
  FISH 
  AND 
  FISHERIES. 
  

  

  other, 
  ami 
  the 
  lower 
  end 
  was 
  split. 
  Three 
  pieces 
  of 
  sponge 
  were 
  put 
  on 
  each 
  peg 
  

   and 
  pushed 
  up 
  high 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  above 
  the 
  horizontal 
  holes, 
  through 
  which 
  a 
  

   wooden 
  peg 
  was 
  pushed, 
  thus 
  fully 
  securing 
  the 
  sponges. 
  

  

  If 
  the 
  pieces 
  of 
  sponge 
  are 
  simply 
  to 
  be 
  fastened 
  with 
  wooden 
  pegs, 
  a 
  three- 
  

   cornered 
  stiletto 
  will 
  suffice 
  for 
  making 
  the 
  holes 
  in 
  sponges 
  ; 
  but 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  

   struu<'- 
  upon 
  pegs 
  this 
  or 
  any 
  similar 
  instrument 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  used, 
  because 
  too 
  great 
  

   a 
  pressure 
  would 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  exercised 
  to 
  make 
  a 
  sufficiently 
  large 
  opening 
  for 
  the 
  

   ])as8age 
  of 
  the 
  pegs. 
  Any 
  pressure 
  will 
  injure 
  the 
  sponges 
  to 
  some 
  degree, 
  and 
  to 
  

   limit 
  its 
  extent 
  or 
  force 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  possible 
  slumld 
  be 
  the 
  first 
  object. 
  Mr. 
  Buccieh 
  

   bored 
  the 
  holes 
  with 
  a 
  trepan 
  G 
  millimeters 
  wide, 
  fastened 
  to 
  a 
  vertical 
  turning 
  

   table 
  which 
  was 
  kei)t 
  in 
  rapid 
  motion 
  by 
  a 
  lly 
  wheel. 
  One 
  hand 
  pressed 
  the 
  sponge 
  

   lio-htlv 
  against 
  the 
  trepan, 
  the 
  other 
  turned 
  the 
  wheel, 
  and 
  the 
  o])eration 
  was 
  lin- 
  

   ished 
  in 
  a 
  few 
  seconds. 
  The 
  hole 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  is 
  perfectly 
  smooth, 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  

   libers 
  have 
  been 
  pulled 
  out, 
  and 
  none 
  of 
  the 
  sarcode 
  has 
  llowed 
  out. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  a 
  

   peg 
  has 
  been 
  furnished 
  with 
  sponge 
  cuttings, 
  its 
  si)lit 
  end 
  is 
  stuck 
  in 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  

   holes 
  of 
  the 
  ap]iaratus 
  and 
  a 
  wedge 
  is 
  driven 
  through 
  the 
  crack. 
  As 
  lid 
  and 
  

   bottom 
  hold 
  24 
  pc^gs, 
  each 
  with 
  3 
  cuttings 
  apiece, 
  such 
  an 
  apparatus 
  can 
  hold 
  

   144 
  cuttings. 
  During 
  this 
  whole 
  process 
  the 
  sponges 
  should 
  be 
  continually 
  

   moistened 
  with 
  sea 
  water, 
  especially 
  during 
  summer. 
  As 
  soon 
  as 
  an 
  apparatus 
  has 
  

   been 
  filled 
  it 
  should 
  immediately 
  be 
  let 
  down 
  into 
  the 
  water 
  if 
  the 
  temperature 
  is 
  

   high, 
  while 
  in 
  winter 
  a 
  delay 
  will 
  not 
  prove 
  injurious. 
  The 
  letting 
  down 
  and 
  raising 
  

   of 
  the 
  apparatus 
  had 
  best 
  be 
  done 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  a 
  small 
  anchor, 
  and 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  

   let 
  down 
  to 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  5 
  to 
  7 
  meters. 
  Mr. 
  Buccieh 
  does 
  not 
  consider 
  it 
  necessary 
  to 
  

   have 
  the 
  apparatus 
  suspended 
  Irom 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  scaffolding. 
  All 
  the 
  woodwork 
  should 
  

   be 
  well 
  tarred, 
  as 
  this 
  will 
  prove 
  tbe 
  only, 
  though 
  by 
  no 
  means 
  always 
  efficient, 
  

   protection 
  against 
  worms. 
  The 
  Teredo 
  does 
  not 
  only 
  cause 
  an 
  increase 
  in 
  the 
  cai)ital 
  

   to 
  be 
  employed, 
  because 
  it 
  makes 
  new 
  npparatus 
  necessary 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time, 
  but 
  

   it 
  also 
  diminishes 
  the 
  results, 
  because 
  the 
  pegs 
  will, 
  gradually 
  get 
  loose 
  and 
  fall 
  off. 
  

   It 
  would, 
  therefore, 
  be 
  best 
  to 
  dispense 
  with 
  wood 
  altogether, 
  and 
  either 
  construct 
  

   the 
  apparatus 
  of 
  stone, 
  taking 
  the 
  necessary 
  precautions 
  against 
  mud 
  and 
  excess 
  of 
  

   light, 
  or 
  construct 
  Mr. 
  Buccich's 
  exceedingly 
  practical 
  apparatus 
  of 
  iron. 
  

  

  If, 
  after 
  three 
  or 
  four 
  weeks, 
  the 
  sponges 
  have 
  grown 
  lirmly 
  to 
  their 
  base, 
  they 
  

   are 
  sure 
  to 
  develop 
  successfully. 
  Their 
  most 
  characteristic 
  tendency 
  is 
  the 
  desire 
  

   to 
  grow 
  round. 
  In 
  order 
  to 
  facilitate 
  this 
  in 
  all 
  directions, 
  Mr. 
  Buccieh 
  strung 
  the 
  

   sponges 
  on 
  pegs. 
  As 
  regards 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  sponge 
  cuttings 
  withiu 
  certain 
  

   given 
  periods, 
  we 
  have 
  only 
  very 
  imperfect 
  information, 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  impossible 
  to 
  

   make 
  continued 
  undisturbed 
  observations. 
  Mr. 
  Buccicli 
  says 
  that 
  the 
  cuttings 
  

   grow 
  two 
  or 
  three 
  times 
  their 
  original 
  size 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  year. 
  He 
  also 
  mentions 
  

   that 
  the 
  cuttings 
  grew 
  better 
  during 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  fourtli 
  year 
  than 
  during 
  the 
  

   second 
  and 
  third. 
  It 
  is 
  his 
  opinion 
  that, 
  although 
  some 
  pieces 
  will 
  grow 
  to 
  a 
  

   considerable 
  size 
  in 
  five 
  years, 
  it 
  will 
  require 
  seven 
  years 
  to 
  raise 
  completely 
  matured 
  

   sponges 
  which 
  are 
  tit 
  to 
  become 
  an 
  article 
  of 
  merchandise. 
  I 
  can 
  not 
  pass 
  by 
  the 
  

   fact 
  that 
  besides 
  well-developed 
  and 
  growing 
  sponges 
  there 
  were 
  some 
  which 
  

   outwardly 
  looked 
  perfectly 
  healthy, 
  but 
  had 
  ceased 
  growing. 
  

  

  In 
  conclusion, 
  Mr. 
  Buccieh 
  discusses 
  the 
  question 
  whether 
  the 
  enterprise 
  can, 
  on 
  

   the 
  whole, 
  be 
  called 
  jtrofitable, 
  and 
  says 
  that 
  he 
  must 
  answer 
  it 
  in 
  the 
  affirmative. 
  

   He 
  thinks 
  that 
  if 
  all 
  the 
  lessons 
  taught 
  by 
  experience 
  are 
  carefully 
  observed, 
  the 
  

   cuttings 
  will 
  always 
  develo]) 
  successfully, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  loss 
  would 
  at 
  most 
  be 
  10 
  per 
  

   cent, 
  taking 
  into 
  account 
  unexpected 
  accidents 
  and 
  the 
  stationary 
  character 
  of 
  some 
  

   of 
  the 
  sponges. 
  Calculating 
  the 
  expense 
  of 
  an 
  establisbment 
  for 
  5,000 
  sponges 
  

   at 
  300 
  llorius 
  and 
  the 
  loss 
  at 
  10 
  per 
  cent, 
  the 
  price 
  realized 
  by 
  4,500 
  si)onges 
  would 
  

   indicate 
  the 
  profits. 
  Mr. 
  Buccieh 
  calculates 
  the 
  value 
  of 
  4,500 
  sponges 
  at 
  i^tOO 
  florins. 
  

   This 
  sum 
  is, 
  in 
  my 
  opinion, 
  much 
  too 
  high, 
  as 
  the 
  wholesale 
  sponge-dealers 
  in 
  Trieste 
  

   receive 
  an 
  average 
  price 
  of 
  8 
  and 
  a 
  maximum 
  price 
  of 
  10 
  florins 
  i)er 
  kilogram 
  of 
  

   Dalmatian 
  sponges. 
  • 
  

  

  