THE SPONGE FISHERY. 841 



and having themselves exposed to the dishonest ones which may so easily creep in. It is in 

 connection with the Florida sponge trade that the most serious evils exist, and these above all 

 others could be most handily remedied. The selling of sponges by weight, without reference to 

 their size, is a practice which, while it cannot be deemed in any respect fraudulent, is most unsat- 

 isfactory to the purchaser, and fails to discriminate fairly between good, sizable sponges and the 

 smaller and less valuable ones. A change could easily be made which would make the price 

 depend more upon the actual value of the sponge, and this would have the effect not only of 

 giving buyers what they wanted, but of checking the shipments of undersized sponges an evil 

 to which we have hitherto alluded in these columns, as being likely to exhaust the fisheries in 

 time. 



" The bleaching of sponges is more of a fraud upon the consumers. Doubtless this process is 

 honestly carried on by some packers, but it is oftener taken advantage of as the means of weight- 

 ing the sponges by leaving in them a greater or less percentage of the lime employed as a bleaching 

 agent. Throughout this process the inexperienced consumer is easily duped. A bleached sponge 

 has the appearance of being superior to an unbleached one, and might be purchased in preference, 

 though its absolute inferiority becomes at once apparent upon use. The sanding of sponges is a 

 clear and unmitigated fraud. It is a cheat upon the purchaser and its practice casts a stigma upon 

 the entire trade, and will sooner or later bring into disrepute the very excellent Florida sheepswool 

 sponge to which it is now chiefly applied. We caution the buyers of sponges to guard well against 

 purchasing any packing which is not guaranteed to be entirely free from sand or lime or any 

 extraneous matter. There is a disposition among the majority of the sponge houses, we believe, 

 to root out the existing evils in their trade and especially those which are absolutely fraudulent. 

 This they can readily do, and they will have no alternative if buyers will insist upon such a guar- 

 antee as we have suggested." 



Other fraudulent practices charged upon the dishonest sponge trade are the substitution of 

 Bahama, Mexican, or Cuban grades of sheepswool sponges for the Florida, which latter bring from 

 one-third to one-half more iu price than the same kinds of sponges grown in other American waters. 

 Recently large numbers of small and inferior sheepsswool sponges have been packed in the interior 

 of bales made up 011 the outside of the better grades. This has resulted, as before described, 

 from the falling off in the catch of large sponges, and the taking of all sizes by the fishermen. 

 The inferior grades of sponges are not subject to fraudulent practices, the supply being much 

 greater than the demand, and the prices low. 



