DISCUSSION OF FAULTS 



As was indicated in the preceding section, the individual sponge 

 is given demerits for each fault that is found by inspection. The 

 maximum number of demerits given depends on the seriousness of the 

 fault. This maximum number ranges from 5>0 to 300. 



The faults are divided into two groups: major and minor. Major 

 faults are those requiring a maximum of 200 to 300 demerits. Minor 

 faults are those requiring a maximum of 50 to 1^0 demerits. Both 

 the major and minor faults, in turn, are divided into two sub-groups: 

 workmanship and character. Faults included under workmanship are 

 those controllable by the seller. Those included under character are 

 controllable only by selection and grading . 



A list of the faults and the maximum number of demerits suggested 

 for each are shown in table 1. A typical example indicating how many 

 demerits would be assigned in actual practice to one lot of sponges 

 of a particular type and grade is shown in table 2, The following 

 gives a discussion of each fault. 



Major Faults 



A* Bleached . — To determine the color of a bleached sponge, one 

 could use an accepted publication of color standards for reference, 

 but customers are not interested particularly in the attractiveness 

 added by bleaching. Evidently, sellers are aware of this fact and 

 also of the fact that all known methods of bleaching are reported to 

 weaken the sponge, since very few domestic sponges received were 

 definitely bleached. The few that were given demerits for being 

 bleached could have been affected by variations in growth or by ex- 

 posure to sun, which seems to have been the case for the Mediterranean 

 sponges that were inspected. Bleaching may be partially the cause of 

 certain of the accompanying poorer qualities in these sponges. At 

 present, the only advice that can be given on grading this fault is 

 to say that familiarity with the usual color will make possible the 

 detection of any excessive amount of bleaching, 



B, Unclean, gurry . — Uncleanliness is indicated by excessive 

 stiffness in the dry sponge, which almost invariably is accompanied 

 by a color that is darker than usual and by a clinging together of 

 the finer outside fibers. The Rock Island sponges were found to be 

 the least cleaned of gurry (residual dried oxidized flesh). Such 

 sponges, when wet, often will evolve a fishy smell, feel sticky, give 

 a milky discoloration to the first wash, and leave a smear on clean 

 glass. On thorough washing, no sponge should lose more than 10 per- 

 cent of its weight figured on the dry basis. 



This test gives additional evidence that the sale of sponges 

 should be made on the basis of size rather than of weight. Practi- 

 cally all sponges now are being offered for sale on a size basis, 



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