Arizona republican., 1911-01-29
ALFALFA LEAF WEEV|L
 MEMORIAL ID CONGRESS
APPROPRIATION ASKED TO FIGHT
 NEW PEST.
Figures Showing Value of Crop to Salt
 River Valley Used in Argument.

Congress is to be memOralized by the leading organizations having for their object the advancement. of the Salt river valley and asked to appropriate s35, ,000 to fight the alfalfa leaf weevil. Of this sum S10,000 is for purposes of investigation and $25,0O0 to devise means to check the spread of the pest.
 Attention to the danger of intrOduc- ing the weevil into Arizona vas first drawn by circular recently issued by Territorial Entomologist A. ". Nor Till. The danger was discussed by the directors of the board of trade Thurs day afternoon and Secretary Welch was instructed to draw up a memorial to congress. Yesterday the memorial was completed and tomorrow MT. Welch will endeavor to secure the sig natures of officers of the water users association, commercial club. Tempe board of trade and Mesa chamber of commerce. The signatures of the offi- cers of the local board of trade will also be added of course. It is hoped that a signed copy of the memorial can be sent to Washington Monday night.
 Following is the memorial prepared: 1:
 Memorial.
 To the Congress of the United States
 of America:
 We, your memOrialists. recognizing a grave danger with which the leading agricultural industry of Arizona is threatened, urge upon you a careful consideration of the matter hereinafter set forth and the provision for protect i've measures such as the importance of the matter warrants.
 The total amount of land now de- voted to the growing of alfalfa in Ari- zona is approximately l20.OOO acres. of which 65.OOO acres are in one body un- der the Salt river irrigation project of the United States reclamation serv- ice. At the rate of $l50 per acre, this crop represents an investment to Ari- zona ranchers of S1S.0O0.O0O. The value of the alfalfa crop in Arizona amounts to more than $6.00O.000 per annum. The alfalfa crop is the backbone of our az ricultural system. No crop could take it's place without a tremendous loss to all business interests. and the failure for any cause of the alfalfa industry would be d great calamity.
 This industry is now greatly endan- gered by the presence of a most de- structive insect pest in an adjoining state. The alfalfa leaf weevil is stated in the report of the chief of the bureau of entomology. United States depart ment of agriculture. to constitute great menace to alfalfa cultura. and an appropriation of $l0.O00 for an investi- gation of the pest has been requested. The importance of the pest is set forth in detail in a recent bulletin of the Utah agricultural experiment station. No. no. In this bulletin the means of spread of this alfalfa pest are discussed and the prediction made that 1t will probably be a question of but a short time before the insect will be generally distributed over the alfalfa growing re- gions of the United States. Railroad trains are recognized as the most inn portant agency in the spread of the pest
 The alfalfa growing sections of Ari- ZOna and doubtless many such sections outside of this territory are SD isolated that a small expenditure in efforts to check the spread of the weevil from the region at present infested would mean a saving of many millions of dollars. Arizona is especially menaced