Arizona republican., 1921-01-23

son. every season taking an increased slice of the farmers anticipated profits.
 Fortunately, by reason of its wide stretches of desert, Arizona affords a natural protection to it's agricultural
 districts. In the absence of com municati these vast deserts would
 act as an almost perfect barrier to the spread of insect pests. But with the constant increase of travel coincident to the development of a new state and the coming of new residents from parts of the country infested with some of the most damaging pests, the danger of infection has been increas- ing each year. As an example of the enormous amount of travel into Ari- Zona by means of the automobile alone, will note in passing the following figures from the inspection records of the inspector of the state entomolo gists office located at Lordsburg. The number of automobiles passing through iLordsburg for Arizona points during the month of November were 1190. During the month of December 731.
 Total number of automobiles, the lug
 gage of which was inspected by our i inspectors for the last five months of 1920, nearly 5000.
 | Simultaneously, with the constant increase in travel and communication, i has come the rapid agricultural de-
 velopment of the state. The cotton acreage of Arizona increased from 95,
 900 acres in 1918 to 225,o00 acres in
 1920 while the total acreage devoted
 to agricultural crops expanded from
 450,00O acres in 1918 to 606, 900 in 1920.
 Many of Arizona's streams have been damned by vast engineering works and the water led peacefully here and
 there where needed to make the once arid land produce bounteous crops.
 Hundreds of wells have been drilled
 and their waters lifted and started, by means of machinery, on its journey to water the crops of hundreds of acres.
 This rapid agricultural development means that with each year Arizona
 farmers have a large amount at stake,
 necessitating increasingly rigid en-
 forcement of quarantine measures. It is generally understood that the greater the value of a mans property, the more insurance he carries to protect him. self against its loss. Every year in Arizona sees the value of our agricul-
 tural products increase, until today il l is estimated at s60,000.o00. or nearly s20.000,000 more than three years ago , So that it is becoming increasingly necessary that we protect this island Ll hordes of insect pests, many of whicI come from foreign lands whose climatt
 is similar to our own, and which wt e know, from the experience of our les. , fortunate neighbors in the south, would , make short work of our crops, onct s they succeeded in establishing them ! selves Tn Arizona
 f At the present time quarantines art fl in effect against the Importation int
 Arizona of pests affecting maize ant
 grains. cotton, alfalfa and both citru f and deciduous fruits as we'll as sub tropical fruits, forest and shade trees 7 Enforcement of these quarantine i necessitates the inspection Of all ship I ments into Arizona of any products O . commodities which might serve as car , riers of insect pests. This means tha . inspectors, working under the direction i lof the state entomologist must be ol hand to examine not only freight ant F express matter but also personal bag
 gage of new corners reaching Arizoni I by rail or automobile
 , It would be a grave mistake, in al : effort to effect economies, to permi . the warfare against these insect pest : to be relaxed or slackened, even for
 short period of time. Experience il the past has shown that the cost O Q maintaining quarantine Is negligibl