﻿FISHERIES 
  OF 
  THE 
  COASTAL 
  WATERS 
  OF 
  FLORIDA. 
  275 
  

  

  Spouges 
  fetching- 
  tlic 
  price 
  given 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Buccicb 
  ought 
  to 
  liavo 
  a 
  very 
  consider- 
  

   able 
  size, 
  and 
  their 
  sk)w 
  growth 
  justifies 
  the 
  supposition 
  tliat 
  even 
  after 
  seven 
  years 
  

   they 
  will 
  not 
  yet 
  have 
  reached 
  that 
  size 
  It 
  must 
  also 
  be 
  taken 
  into 
  account 
  tiiat 
  

   the 
  market 
  value 
  of 
  sponges 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  raised 
  on 
  i)cgs 
  is 
  one-third 
  less 
  thau 
  that 
  

   of 
  naturally 
  grown 
  ones, 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  center. 
  The 
  profitableness 
  

   of 
  sponge-culture 
  would 
  be 
  far 
  more 
  evident 
  if 
  there 
  was 
  not 
  such 
  a 
  long 
  interval 
  

   between 
  planting 
  and 
  harvesting— 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  if 
  the 
  s])ongc8 
  would 
  grow 
  

   more 
  rai»idly. 
  This 
  was 
  certainly 
  looked 
  for 
  when 
  the 
  enterprise 
  was 
  started; 
  but 
  

   it 
  is 
  dispiriting 
  to 
  have 
  to 
  wait 
  for 
  your 
  crop 
  for 
  seven 
  long 
  years. 
  And, 
  in 
  order 
  

   that 
  when 
  that 
  period 
  has 
  been 
  reached 
  there 
  may 
  be 
  crops 
  every 
  year, 
  it 
  will 
  be 
  

   necessary 
  to 
  invest 
  the 
  same 
  annual 
  amount 
  of 
  capital 
  for 
  a 
  period 
  of 
  seven 
  years. 
  

   The 
  ap})aratus, 
  moreover, 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  simple 
  that 
  every 
  hsherman 
  could 
  easily 
  con- 
  

   struct 
  it 
  himself, 
  for 
  experience 
  has 
  shown 
  that 
  wood, 
  which 
  would 
  be 
  the 
  easiest 
  

   material 
  for 
  working, 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  used 
  on 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  ravages 
  of 
  the 
  Teredo. 
  

  

  As 
  far 
  as 
  our 
  present 
  knowledge 
  goes, 
  it 
  is 
  certain 
  that 
  sponge-culture 
  will 
  not 
  bo 
  

   profitable 
  for 
  poor 
  men, 
  but 
  that 
  it 
  can 
  only 
  be 
  carried 
  on 
  successfully 
  on 
  a 
  very 
  

   large 
  scale, 
  either 
  by 
  wealthy 
  individuals 
  or 
  by 
  joint-stock 
  companies. 
  It 
  would 
  

   be 
  very 
  encouraging 
  to 
  know 
  more 
  concerning 
  the 
  progressive 
  develoi)ment 
  of 
  the 
  

   sponge 
  in 
  its 
  natural 
  condition, 
  and 
  especially 
  to 
  know 
  that 
  this 
  develojnuont 
  was 
  

   just 
  as 
  slow 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  cuttings. 
  Prof. 
  O. 
  Schmidt 
  inclined 
  to 
  this 
  opinion. 
  

   But 
  if 
  it 
  should 
  prove 
  erroneous, 
  it 
  would 
  be 
  more 
  than 
  questionable 
  whether 
  it 
  is 
  

   profitable 
  to 
  cut 
  to 
  pieces 
  a 
  sponge 
  which 
  uncut 
  would 
  have 
  quicker 
  reached 
  the 
  

   same 
  size 
  and 
  weight 
  than 
  all 
  the 
  cuttings 
  together 
  in 
  seven 
  years. 
  Under 
  such 
  

   circumstances 
  'sponge-culture 
  had 
  better 
  be 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  transformation 
  of 
  flat, 
  

   and 
  therefore 
  worthless, 
  sponges 
  into 
  round 
  ones, 
  which, 
  though 
  small, 
  would 
  find 
  a 
  

   ready 
  market. 
  Possibly 
  several 
  especially 
  misshaped 
  pieces 
  of 
  sponge 
  mi'.;ht 
  bo 
  

   made 
  to 
  grow 
  together 
  and 
  form 
  larger 
  and 
  better-shaped 
  ones. 
  The 
  experiments 
  

   made 
  by 
  Cavolini 
  and 
  those 
  of 
  Mr. 
  Buccich, 
  above 
  mentioned, 
  show 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   difhculty 
  in 
  doing 
  this. 
  

  

  lieceiitly 
  Mr. 
  lialpliM. 
  Muuroe, 
  of 
  Cocoaiiut 
  Grove, 
  Fla., 
  carried 
  on 
  an 
  

   extended 
  series 
  of 
  experiments 
  in 
  Biscayne 
  Bay, 
  an 
  interesting 
  account 
  

   of 
  which 
  is 
  given 
  in 
  the 
  report 
  on 
  that 
  region 
  already 
  alhided 
  to. 
  

  

  These 
  experiments 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Fogarty 
  and 
  Mr, 
  Munroe 
  seem 
  to 
  demon- 
  

   strate 
  conclusively 
  that 
  the 
  Florida 
  sheepswool 
  sponges 
  grow 
  very 
  

   much 
  more 
  rapidly 
  thau 
  did 
  those 
  experimented 
  with 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Buceicli. 
  

   Their 
  cuttings 
  grew 
  to 
  good 
  couiiuercial 
  si/e 
  in 
  six 
  months' 
  time, 
  and 
  

   this 
  agrees 
  with 
  the 
  observations 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  dealers 
  and 
  spongers 
  who 
  

   were 
  consulted 
  about 
  the 
  matter. 
  

  

  This 
  rapid 
  growth 
  of 
  the 
  sheepswool 
  sponge 
  and 
  the 
  high 
  degree 
  of 
  

   success 
  attained 
  in 
  the 
  experiments 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  tried 
  show 
  very 
  

   clearly 
  that 
  the 
  artificial 
  propagation 
  of 
  sponges 
  in 
  Florida 
  by 
  means 
  

   of 
  clippings 
  is 
  entirely 
  practicable. 
  That 
  the 
  adoption 
  of 
  methods 
  

   of 
  artiticial 
  sponge-culture 
  would 
  inure 
  greatly 
  to 
  the 
  benetit 
  of 
  the 
  

   Florida 
  sponge 
  industry 
  scarcely 
  admits 
  of 
  ([uestion. 
  Not 
  only 
  would 
  

   it 
  permit 
  an 
  expansion 
  of 
  the 
  trade 
  and 
  fishery 
  in 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  the 
  

   dealers, 
  vessel-owners, 
  and 
  fishermen, 
  but 
  it 
  would 
  furnish 
  employment 
  

   to 
  many 
  other 
  people, 
  put 
  the 
  sponge 
  business 
  on 
  a 
  more 
  substantial 
  and 
  

   permanent 
  basis, 
  and 
  invite 
  new 
  capital. 
  It 
  should 
  not 
  be 
  ditficult 
  

   to 
  secure 
  proper 
  legislation 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  by 
  means 
  of 
  which 
  

   the 
  industry 
  would 
  be 
  advanced 
  and 
  the 
  interests 
  of 
  all 
  concerned 
  

   properly 
  guarded. 
  

  

  