Williams news., 1905-05-13
WAR ON SHEEP SCABlES Officials and Flock Owners Deter mined to Eradicate the Disease

All reports indicate that this has been a banner year for the sheep men of Arizona. There has been plenty of good feed and water which are necessary, but besides these the sheepmen have received high prices for both wool and nut ton. Flock owners, however, have some troubles, for it is known that scabies is more or less prevalent among the sheep in all parts of the territory, as it is in practically all the range states of the west.
 Because the greater portion of the sheep of the territory have been treated in some way each year this disease is not as prevalent here as in many states, but under the meth ods in vogue of removing the sheep from forest reserves and mountain grazing lands to the valleys each fall and back again each spring all are more or less affected by the smaller number of bands that are allowed to remain diseased.
 The United States department of agriculture has for several years permitted only sheep that would stand inspection to be moved in in terstate shipments and as further assistance that department has issued an order this spring which provides that all sheep must be dipped under the supervision of government inspector and receive his certificate before permit will be given them to enter the forest re- serves.
 As this order only affected sheep to be grazed on the reserves condi- tions would be little improved an other year if the sheep that are not grazed on the reserves are not treated. The Arizona Wool Grow ers' association, whose membership includes over three-fourths of the sheep men of the territory and many others, have requested Dr. J. c. Norton, territorial veterinarian, to come to their assistance and en- deavor to have all sheep in the ter ritory systematically treated this year.
 Sheep are not included in the provisions of the live stock laws under which the sanitary board acts, but special sheep law has been on the statute book for several years. Dr. Norton took the matter up with Dr. Salmon, chief of the bureau of animal industry, Wash ington, D. C., and other bureau off, cials, and arrangements have been made for the territorial veterinarian to appoint bureau officials his dep- uties to assist under the provisions of the territorial sheep laws in se- curing general dipping of all sheep in the territory.
 Twelve such government men have been furnished and appointed as deputies. wk will see that all sheep offered arr properly dipped, and certificates or dipping will be issued. On April 25 a notice to all sheep men in the territory was is- sued stating that all sheep not dipped under supervision of an in- spector within reasonable time would be quarantined and treated at owners expense Sheep men report all the way from 5OO,OOO to 100000 sheep in the territory. On account of the weather the work will not commence in the northern part of the territory until dipping is finished in this vicinity. About 100000 sheep have already been dipped at Mesa City, Cave Creek l and Cordes, and the sheep men as a class seem to be anxious to make the work A SncceSS
 As the scabies mites are very to the wool crop and the growth of the sheep no one can estimate the financial cost. Much money has been spent in dipping each year in the past. but now with