The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-03-02

"A treasure more valuable than gold
lies at the bottom of all the bays ad-
jacent to and .sIrounuing Pensacola"
declared Shell lsn Commissioner T. R
Houges to a Journal representative
just before leaving this cily af,er q
tour of Inspection here.
IF the announcement should be
made today thaI chest of Spanish
gold lay at the bottom Of Pensacola.
Escambia or East bays, at some given
spot" continued Commissioner HouRe&.
'thousanus OF treasure seekers would
be on the grouAd before nIgct, dig ging
up the water bottoms I'm their efrort@
to locale the Spanish doubIoons. a
treasure more valuable lies at the bot
,om Of all the bays surrounding PEN
saco4a.
'lf you were tod that an acre OF
ground would produce a crop worth
$3.50 per year how quickly you would
secure a large acreage for painting?
An acre of good oyster ground should
produce at least 5000 worth Of oysters
per year If properly cultiva ed. The
growth is very RAPID in our waters and
"a marketable crop should be grown
from the 'spat or spawn in from I2
10 Is months and from the seed or
small oyster in less time.
THE water bottoms are leased by
the state of EIorI1a a&r-So-soene@zHea
acre er year for the first ten ysaxa
and 81 per acre per year thereafteg
and the sta-e guarantees proLectlOn
under the law to those engaged In the
oyster culture.
Pensacola alone would afford a good
market for the product as oysters are
now being shipped here from ApaIachs-
cola and points in Alabama. 1ne ia
vor of the oysters grown in these wa
ters is far superior 20 those from any
other point" concluded Comniss,o. er
t1ouges.
DEVELOPING THE lNDG-
Shell Fish ComnlssioacE
Hooges was in port for ten -. D4
board the shell fish comnII--..l. It
Myerdaie, cUnferring with j. r. s-.is.'-
rlll and others relative ~ the bcst
means of developing the oyster in
ousLiy in Pensacola waters and there
by taking up from the water bottoms
this long neglected treasure. The COM
missioner pronounced the planting
grounds especially good in Escampia
and Last Lays. The surveyor is now
engaged in surISyiI.g out tract OF
water bo.toms OF $50 acres for Mr..
Sheriff. of this city. in Escambia bay,
just across from Escambia-
The recently enacted oyster law pro-
tects those who secure leases Of wa
ter bottoms for the purpose of en-
eAgIng In the oysIer culture and the
field is now open Tor deveIopment by
citizens of Florida, Florida firms. COM
poaeu OF Citizens of the state of Flor
ida, and Florida corporations don1i-
ciled III this state. and foreign corpora
tions which have received permits TO
do business in this safe.
The legislature of 1913 was wise in
the passage Of an act for the encour-
agement protection and development
Of the oyster industry of the state. Leg
Isiation along this line has long BEEN
needed to develop one Of F'lorida's MOST
neglected but best industries.
There has been practically no con-
servation Of the natural oyster reefs OF
the state and interruptions oysLermen
have almost II not entirely denuded
these reefs Of the magnificent oysters
that covered them, and on account OF
no protection afforded by the law to
those that secured grants from the
county commissioners for water DOT
toms on which to cultivate the oys-