Page:St. Nicholas, vol. 40.1 (1912-1913).djvu/658

 

The diver is down and the life-line, air-hose, and two oars may be seen over the side of the boat, as well as the hinged ladder used by the diver to climb aboard. The boat is rowed slowly, and keeps just above the diver, whose position is shown by bubbles coming up from below. 

of us know little of the nature of the sponge, and while we may delight in its use as a toilet article, we are not aware that it is practically indispensable in many of the arts. Science has offered substitutes for it made of rubber, but nature’s product still remains far superior to anything that man has thus far manufactured. The sponge, as we know it, is merely the fibrous skeleton which supported the soft gelatinous tissue of the living animal. It is usually fixed to certain spots of the ocean’s floor and absorbs its nourishment from the currents of water which continually pass through its porous structure; but no one so far seems to know exactly of what that nourishment consists.

Like some other animals, the sponge may have its body cut up into small pieces, and from each section a new sponge may develop. Science has taken advantage of this remarkable quality in artificially cultivating the sponge.

The sponge family has a wide distribution in the warm waters of various seas. In points of abundance and quality, the ranks first in its wealth of sponges, and, at present, is given credit for producing more than half the value of the world’s supply. Other sponge fisheries are located in the and the .

Before describing the methods of cultivating the sponge, it may be interesting to learn how they are taken from their native grounds.

The earliest method of gathering them was by wading. They were detached by the toes and