196 The Philippine Journal of Science isif 



themselves to rocks or shells, and grow, A sponge attains 

 marketable size within two or three years. 



Sponges have been successfully cultivated in several countries, 

 the method being as follows: The sponge is held under sea 

 water and with a sharp knife is cut into suitable pieces, usually 

 from 5 to 10 centimeters square. It is best not to remove the 

 sponge from the water at any time. The cuttings are strung 

 on rattan, bamboo, or copper or tin wire, or are fastened to a 

 smooth tile or to a cement base, and are replaced in a conven- 

 ient bed in the sea and left to grow. They should be planted 

 in the same depth of water as their original home, as sponges 

 from deep water do not grow well in shallow water, and those 

 from shallow water do not thrive in deep water. The Australian 

 Government has experimented with sponge growing for six 

 years with considerable success, and some experiments have been 

 conducted by the United States Bureau of Fisheries on the 

 Florida beds. 



METHODS OF CURING, GRADING, AND MARKETING SPONGES 



There are several methods of preparing sponges for the 

 market, and the treatment must be adapted to the class of 

 sponge; for example, the fragile grass sponge should not be 

 given the same treatment as the tough Sulu Sea bath or the 

 honeycomb sponge. 



The experienced Greek spongers, who conducted their work 

 with a 5-ton boat equipped with diving outfit, air pump, and 

 crew of six men, used the following method in handling their 

 wool sponges: As soon as caught, the sponges were placed right 

 side up on deck; after four or five hours they were trampled 

 by the feet and strung on strong cords about 2 meters in length. 

 These strings of sponges were hung over the sides of the boat 

 in the water. As time would permit within the next twenty- 

 four hours, a string at a time was taken on deck and squeezed 

 and washed again, until the skin and other soft organic matter 

 were removed. The clean sponges were hung in the rigging to 

 dry, after which they were stored on board until the boat came 

 in from her cruise. As soon as the sponges were landed, they 

 were spread out in the warehouse and were carefully gone over 

 one by one, all of them being beaten with a smooth, rounded club 

 against a solid log to remove all shells, sand, and other foreign 

 matter. The sponges were next passed to the trimmers, who 

 trimmed them into good shapes with sheep shears. After this 



