Weekly journal-miner., 1917-01-17
ARIZONA WELL REMEMBERED
 IN THE BILL
AGRICULTURAL MEASURE CONTAINS MANY PRO- VISIONS EXHIBITING THIS STATE.

l WAS1l NG ON, Jan. lo-l nc Az
 riculture appropriation bill which has passed the house contains number
 of items of direct interest 70 the pco-
 pie of Arizona. Tke ten national
 forests in Arizona have been allotted
 the following sums of maintenance
 and improvements during the fiscal
 year beginning July 1, 1917:
 Apache forest in Grcenlce and Apa-
 che counties, $S079: Coconino forest
 near Flagstaff, Sl2,l07; Coronado for
 est in Southern Arizona, So,O44: Crook
 forest in Gila and Graham counties,
 S3735; Dixie forest in Mohavc coun-
 ty, Sl, ,5o6; kiabab forest north of the
 Grand Canyon, S2,70S: Prescott for
 est, S6,255: Sitgreavcs forest in Nay
 ajo county, SS,34l: Tonto forest in
 Maricopa and Gila counties, S4,525;
 Tusayan forest near Williams, S9.54l. When the appropriation for the
 national forests were under consid-
 eration in the house, Congressman Carl Hayden strongly protested
 against the proposed increase in
 grazing fees. He stated that at the present rates charged for cattle and
 sheep the Arizona forests were now self sustaining, and that the stock men of Arizona were opposed to be- ing taxed to make up the deficits which are incurred by the Forest Service in other States No action could be taken by the house because the contemplated raise in the graz ing rates is not to be made by an act of congress but by a regulation issued by the secretary Of agricul- turc. The rules of the house do not permit an amendment to be offered to an appropriation bill which would take away from the secretary this authority to increase the charges for grazing, so that the western members at this time.
 The agriculture bill also provides ! for the maintenance of the Saca- l, tion experiment station where the 1 now famous Pima and Yuma varieties | of Egyptian cotton were first de- 1 veloped. S50O00 is appropriated to ! prevent the introduction from Mexico . of the pink boil worm which is . very destructive to cotton. The gov ! crnmcnt date orchard and also the . chronological station at Tempe arc provided for. Appropriations are made for the destruction of the | prairie dogs that arc doing great damage to the Arizona ranges. The bureau of soils has been granted an increased appropriation so that it will be possible to carry out a soil survey in some county i'll Arizona in the near future. No work of this char actcr has been done since 1904, when the soil surveys were made of the Salt river and Yuma reclamation pro- jccts.
 The bureau of markets was also given additional funds to carry on its activities, and steps have been taken looking to cooperative marketing work in Maricopa county. The bill Ii also makes appropriations for the breeding and study of alkali and drought resistant crops, for invcsti- gations in connection with western agriculture, and for the i'm provement of the methods of crop production under dry-land conditions.
 Many of the employees of the for est service and the other bureaus of the department of agriculture in Arizona should be happy because provision is made for 10 per cent increase in all salaries under Sl2OO per annum. Those whose compcn- sation is between Sl 200 and 1890 i will receive d raise of per cent. ! The bill carries q total aDDroDriation of over $25,600,0O0 which is the ] largest sum ever authorized to be cx- pended for the benefit of the farmers and stock growers of the United States.