Arizona republican., 1909-02-28
Salt River Valley ReayWeky Building and Improvement Summary

I country from the ravages of this i'm
 portant pest has amounted to very many millions of dollars. The loss to the fruit interests ten years ago amounted to about $335, 1000, ,OOO, and today the loss is estimated by the Secretary of Agriculture to be about $795, ,0OO, ,000-a terrible loss which could have been avoided had we had proper national quarantine laws thir- | ty or forty years ago.
 You are now fast building up a | great citrus industry in and around PhcenN; you are now getting large returns. and you will get vast re- turns very soon from the results of growing and profitable industry. Let me call your attention to the fact that California's bill for cyanide of potassium, to fight three pests only, this year is somewhere about S650,- 900, the labor in addition to this costing another s650,OOO; or $1,S00,- 900 for fighting three pests only in the citrus groves. The cost of spray ing for the same purpose was as much, or more, and no account was taken in this estimate of the vast amount expended by deciduous grow CTS and universities. The company of which I am superintendent has purchased this year, for operations on its own groves and those of it's near neighbors Ca very small DOT ton of our territory), material cost ing about $25,000. The expense for Immigration alone in this small terri tory of which 1 speak will run this year to about s60,000, a comfortable income of over a million dollars.
 The three pests to which we refer are the black, red and purple scale. There are many other pests, such as the silver mite, the mealy bug, the red spider. the yellow scale, and others almost too numerous to men, tion, against which we are ever mak- ing a fight in order to preserve our property and make a living.
 Let me call your attention to pests which are even more dangerous than those which are now here. The Nor alis fruit worm of Mexico, if it should get a foothold in your territory or ours would blast our prospects. The Mediterranean fruit worm is another serious pest, which we must take every precaution to keep outside our borders There is also in Japan a citrus variety of the San Jose scale. which has devasted our deciduous groves, which will, if it gets a foot hold in this country, cause as great damage to our citrus groves and cit rus industry as did the variety which attacked the deciduous orchards and is now attacking them.
 There is every reason why you should protect this growing industry in your state, and We Californians, who have suffered so terribly, sin cerely hope that you will have greater wisdom than we have shown in the past, and that you will take advantage of our experience and pro- tect yourselves from a like experience, and a costly one. Future generations of citrus growers will certainly have occasion to rise up and call those blessed, who in the very inception of the industry passed laws and provided means to enforce them, which certainly will be needed to render it profitable to grow citrus fruits in your state.
 
 ciate the fact that we cannot suffici ently protect ourselves by state legis- lation, however important that legis- lation is. All of the ports of entry into our state, and into your state, are increasing so rapidly that it is impossible for state authorities to be on the alert at every point where products cross the line into the state. It is, therefore, necessary that all the fruit growing interests everywhere press upon the national government and their representatives in Wash ington the necessity for national quarantine laws which will provide against the importation into our state, or your state, or any other state, Of pests not now here and ravaging our orchards. The national government can easily designate ports of netry everywhere in the United States to which, and to which only, fruits and plants shall be shipped, if shipped at all into this country from foreign lands. The same department can absolutely prohibit the shipping of fruits or plants or trees into this country from any foreign country where IL IS known that ITulI UT OlileI pests prey upon the industry and have got a foothold in such districts, until such country or district can show the agricultural department of this country a clean bill of health. This action on the part of the na- tional government would be a protec- tion to us which we can get in no other way.
 I call your attention to the fact that over 75 per cent of the pests now ravaging our orchards, citrus or deciduous, our vineyards. and our great agricultural products. are inn ported pests, which could have been kept out had we had the necessary quarantine by the national govern ment. It is inexplicable that any peo- pie should have suffered such enor- nous losses merely because the neces- sary kind of legislation was not passed and put in force.
 We in California have like inter ests with you. We have every reason to cooperate with you, and we sin cerely hope that we can and will pull together in all matters that will be of advantage to us alike.