The Winslow mail., 1924-08-22
SCAB SITUATION In
NORTHERN ARIZONA
HAS BEEN WIPED OUT

With the official announcement that
the cattle scab situation in northern
Arizona has been cleaned up, another
long credit mark has been chalked up
to the present Democratic administra-
ton by the live stock interests of
the state
That Arizona is absolutely free from
the dread scabies is attested by re-
port from H. E. Kemper, federal yete-
rinarian in charge of the Apache
county quarantine to DR.. S. E. Doug
las, state veterinarian. Dr. Kemper
reports that out of $4,000 prime feed
ing steers recently shipped to Denver
not one showed the slightest sign of
disease
On receipt of this report DIR. Doug
las made immediate application to the
federal authorities asking for the re-
moval of the quarantine and in reply
has received assurance that the regu-
lations which have been in force
since 1922 will be raised sometime
this fall.
What the foot and mouth disease
has been to California, the cattle
scabies has been to Arizona. Both
are dreaded by the cattleman and
both require the most stringent reg
ulations to stamp out. ScabieS was
introduced into Arizona from New
Mexico and but for the firm position
taken by the State Live Stock Sani
tary board, cooperating with repre-
sentatives Of the federal bureau of an
imal industry, the disease would have
swept the ranges of Arizona, with
probably losses running into the mil
lions of dollars.
The disease was discovered late in
the fall of 1921 and early in the spring |
of 1922 the live stock sanitary author
tiles of the former administration I
sought to control the situation, but |
failed Two vital mistakes appear to |
have been committed. First the quar- |
antine area was made too small. Sec I
0nd only one dipping was required. |
When the present administration |
took hold, it discovered that the di-
sease instead of having been checked |
was in reality spreading. Drastic
measures were promptly decided upon
townships were added to the quaran-
tine area to cover all possible exposed
cattle, making total of Is townships I
under control Instead OF single
dipping the state insisted upon two
dippings a season for all exposed an
imals, while infected animals were
dipped three and four times.
Cattlemen at the time were strong
Nv opposed to the severity of the new
regulations but since then have come
to realize the wisdom of the state
authorities in insisting upon them
Under state direction nine concrete
dipping watts were constructed, ana al
though the cattlemen were required to
stand the expense of this Improvement
they have discovered in them per-
manent asset In other words the
stockmen have been won over to the
theory of dipping as a precautionary
measure and a regular yearly custom.
The process kills off the vermin and
diseases with which the hides become |
infested during the winter, thus add
ing materially to the general heaith |.
of the animals.
One of the first steps of the new t
administration was to secure Slo,
900 emergency appropriation with
which to combat the disease. Drlft
fences were built to control the quar-
antine range and force OF practical
rangers put on the job as inspectors
this force varying from four to ten
men.
For month after month these men
have been carrying on the pattle
against the infection. 1t has been |
an obstinate enemy to overcome, but
the battle has been won and tcday
finds the cattlemen of the state as
we'll as the states sanitary forces re-
oicing over the fact that the cattle
scahies has been stamped out.