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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXXVII, Issue 25, 22 December 1906, Page 37

Does anyone know that cuttlefish are cultivated on farms to be milked? These cuttlefish farms are located on the coasts of Great Britain, and the cuttlefish are kept in tanks or ponds, to be milked of their ink. The pond or tank is connected with the sea; by a pipe, and a thousand or more cutties are kept in a single one.

They form a most curious sight as they move about, trailing their long arms and staring out of their bulgingeyes. They are guarded by screens which prevent them from being scared, for if they are suddenly frightened they will squirt their milk into the water, and it would therefore be lost. This fluid or milk is very valuable, and a cuttle will yield about thr.’e dollars’ worth a year. It is secreted in a bag which can be opened and closed at wall, the cuttle ejecting the fluid to darken the water so that it may escape unseen when attacked.

The best cuttlefish are procured in China, where for some reason or other they produce the best quality of milk. When the farm r considers it opportune to milk the cutties he proceeds by opening the sluices of the pond and gently agitating the water. The cutties th n swim around the pond, and as soon as one passes through, the sluice is closed. The cuttie passes down a small channel into a basin or metal reeeptael , and as soon as it is securely there the water is drained off. It is then frightened and at once squirts the fluid from the bag. When it is exhausted it is lifted out, the milk is collected, ami the basin prepared for another.