REMARKS ON SPONGE CULTIVATION. 
IBYOUDR Eto Viiss dS Melamen: 
Perhaps you are not averse to turning your attention for a 
moment from, fishes to the long suffermg and humble sponge. 
All the gentlemen present may not be aware that for a number 
of years we have been growing sponges from clippings at several 
farms on the Florida coast. Those who care to pursue the sub- 
ject further are referred to the paper by Dr. H. I. Moore on 
“Progress of Experiments in Sponge Culture” which appeared 
in the proceedings of the society for last year (page 231). Dr. 
Moore has been in charge of those experiments and I want to 
exhibit some speciments which he brought up from the farm 
near Anclote Key, on the west coast of Florida this spring. 
The sponges are grown, as I have said, from cuttings, the 
cuttings being about a cubic inch in volume; and the advantage 
of this method is that irregular sponges having little market 
value, can be planted and will grow into perfectly symmetrical 
sponges of better quality than wild sponges grown on the same 
ground, for reasons that have been explained before. 
I exhibit a string of sponges three years old, having a value 
today of $3.50 a pound. If left on the ground another year 
they would be worth $4.50 to $5.00 per pound, about twelve 
sponges to the pound. Gentlemen who are interested are re- 
quested to feel these sponges, more especially the moist ones, 
and see what excellent quality they represent. 
DISCUSSION, | 
Mr. Clark: I would like to ask Dr. Smith a question: Do 
sponges of any form grow in fresh water? 
Dr. Smith: Yes, sir, but they are of no commercial value, 
only as biological curiosities. 
Mr. Clark: There was brought into my office this spring a 
small piece of sponge, as I called it, taken off the stones in a 
bass pond. 
Dr. Smith: They are usually of very small size. 
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