I« Holes, crab, baring insj.de > — Final users will agree with 

 the writer's division of crab-hole grading to assign slightly more 

 demerits to a hole that is unlined by protective tissue. Crab holes 

 are made by many forms of life other than crabs. The result, hojieveij 

 is the same. The hole may appear anywhere — on the surface or in the 

 interior. Surface grooves usually wear a protective coating or 

 webbing similar to the usual bottom structure and, as such, are 

 covered in Fault J, but sometimes an interior hole — usually starting 

 close to the bottom and rarely penetrating the top — bares the inside 

 structure and is not protected by webbing. Such defects should be 

 given demerits as large as those for tears. They usually drop the 

 rating of the sponge by one grade. 



J. Holes, crab, webbed; or uneven bottom , — Since the effect 

 is the same with uneven bottoms as with webbed holes, these faults 

 have been combined, whether they be due to webbed crab holes, to 

 another 3ponge growing closely nearby, or to a stone or shell on which 

 the sponge was growing. The resultant distortion, if large enough, 

 may eause a Form to be graded as a Cut. 



K. Holes, natural, from disease . — The writer was alarmed to 

 find a fair number of sponges that contained areas of sleazy or thin 

 growth, since these might indicate the persistence of blights, even 

 though they were being kept under control. Such a spot, or its 

 trimmed place, would justify demerits somewhat more than would a lack 

 of webbing over a corresponding area (see M). 



L. Structure, weak insides . — Softness is another fault that is 

 difficult to evaluate. A soft sponge, as tested by pinching or 

 squeezing the whole wet sponge, may be attractive at first to the 

 majority of customers, but this fault usually indicates that less 

 material is present 'and that accordingly, a shorter life is to be 

 expected. It should therefore receive demerits. On the other hand, 

 the Grass sponge and the Florida Yellow sponge usually are too stiff 

 for ready acceptance except for special uses. The greater proportion 

 of water that can be removed from a Hudson Grass sponge than from an 

 Anclote sponge (see Cleanability, under the quantitative tests) be- 

 cause of an apparently weaker inside structure, conceivably could be 

 considered as being an advantage. For purposes of inspection, a 

 squeeze of the sponge with the full hand will reveal any definitely 

 weak inside structure. If demerits have been made for excessive holes, 

 the number of additional demerits for weak structure has to be deter- 

 mined by closer visual inspection for loose fine structure. 



M. Lacking outside webbing over holes .— Although the useful life 

 of a sponge is much greater than is the time elapsed in wearing through 

 the outside fiber and webbing that form the surface of the sponge, 

 this webbing probably constitutes a resistant layer that reduces tear- 

 ing during its existence. A reduction in the amount of this webbing 



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