Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-04-07
INVESTIGATE ALFALFA
WEEWL IN ARIZONA
Government Sends Experts To This
Territory To Look for Pests.


alfalfa weevil in Arizona but that pest
has been making serious trouble for
the Utah ranchers and the Arizona
people are much concerned that the
infection may be brought here. To
guard against such a contingency it
will be remembered that a few weeks
ago the Phoenix board of trade passed
very strong resolutions urging the
| department of agriculture to look into
the situation and see what could be
done to prevent the spread of the
Utah scourge. The following Topeka
correspondence of the Globe Demo-
crat indicates that the department is
moving in the matter and what is
said about the expert assigned to the
duty will prove interesting here:
Eugene G. Smyth, a Topeka boy;
who is an chronological assistant in
the United States department of ag-
riculture, has gone to Arizona, where
he will spend the summer studying
the operations of the alfalfa weevil
and other alfalfa insects Mr. Smyth
recently returned from trip to Smyr-
ma, where he spent five months fight
ing the big worms. AS soon as his
work was completed he was assigned
to the Arizona task.
Before leaving for Arizona Mr.
Smyth stopped in Topeka for visit
with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ber-
nard B. Smyth of East Twelfth street.
While in Topeka Mr.. Smyth stated
that he believed a hard summers cru
SADIE would put the alfalfa weevil out
of business and save thousands of dol
lars TO western alfalfa raisers.
e The alfalfa weevil has been par
ticularly busy in the district surround
ing Salt Lake City, said Mr.. Smyth,
and its operations are extending rap
idly. For this reason il is necessary
for us to get on the ground as soon as
possible. We have learned that the
weevil has destroyed ninety per cent
of the alfalfa crop in the district
where ii is now operating.
Very little can be done to benefit
conditions in the infested district,
but we hope TO check the weevils
ravages in other territory and to-
eventually stamp out its work in
Utah. The sulphur butterfly is doing
the most damage in southern Califor-
mia and Arizona at the present time.
but we can take care of il without
much trouble. The butterfly is no
ticeable on Kansas alfalfa continued
the young man, but the damage has
not been so great as in the far west
orr ~
bother this district
when young Smith was in the
Topeka high school he studied ento-
mology and made several trips to
Arizona with Dr. F. H. Snow as early
as 1908. Then he attended Chicago
university and later entered the gov
eminent agricultural department as an
assistant entomologist.
His first big assignment was the
Smyrna trouble. For several years
there had been complaint concerning
the import figs. Smyth was sent Ito
New York to look into the case. He
found a large per cent of the figs re-
ceived in this country were wormy
and packed in 4 most unprofessional |
manner and shipped from the foreign |
port in an unsanitary condition Then |
came the Wilson ruling to the effect |
that figs received in the United States |
ports which showed more than "a per |
cent worm infested, should be re-
jected. This started trouble. The for |
eign dealers declared the ruling was |
in favor of the California dealers and |
was an effort on the part of the gov
eminent to injure the Smyrna BUSH |
ness. For some months the exchange |
of compliments was warm.
Then Smyth was sent to Smyrna. |
For five months he investigated con-
ditions suggested reforms and edu
Gated the dealers in modern methods !
of fig shipments. More than $4,000 |
worth of the Smyrna figs had been |
stopped in American ports and for a
few weeks the Smyrna dealers did |
not invite Smyth to attend their pink
tea parties. But Smyth stayed right |
on the job. He convinced the deal |
ers that about SOC of the trouble
could be eliminated with a little labor
and some expense. Still the Smyrna
merchants grumbled. An investigation
showed that most of the trouble
started in the fig depots of the interior
and in the beds on which figs were |
dried.
After about three months Smyth |
convinced the Smyrna merchants of
the error of their way. He showed
them that the steam and hot-air pro-
cess put their figs in better shape.
a higher price and saved
no end of trouble Then the Topeka
boy returned. His work made a hit
with Uncle Sans agricultural de-
partment. Now Smyth lands some
Of the big jobs at the disposal of the
government The Arizona investiga-
ton is a knotty problem. 1t requires
judgment and research to get by
with the situation, but young Smyth
will camp on the Arizona soil until
the alfalfa weevil concludes to hunt
more promising territory. Then Smyth
will probably follow him."