Arizona state miner., 1924-08-16
scA5lEs STAMPED OUT

T. With = the Omcial announcement
that the cattle scab situation in north
Eern Arizona has been cleaned up, an
other long credit mark has been
chalked up, to the present Democratic
administration by the live stock in
Eterests of the state ss
That Arizona is absolutely free
from the dread scabies is attested
by report from Dr. H. E. Kemper,
federal veterinarian in charge of the
Apache county quarantine to DR.. S.
e. Douglas. state veterinarian. DR..
Kemper reports that out of $4,000
prime feeding steers recently shipped
to Denver, not one showed the slight
est sign of disease. M u
On receipt of this report DR.. Doug
las made immediate application to
the, federal authorities asking for the
removal of the quarantine and in re-
ply has received assurance that the
regulations which have been in force
since 1922 will be raised sometime
this fall. 4.s
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 posi-
tion taken by the State Livestock
ESanitary Board, cooperating with
representatives of the federal bureau
of animal industry the disease would
have swept, the ranges of. Arizona
with probably losses running into the
millions of dollars.
The disease was discovered late
in the fall of5-1921 and early ii. the
spring of 1922. the livestock sanitary
authorities of the former administra-
ton sought to control the situation
but failed. Two vital mistakes ap-
pear to have been committed. ( First
| the. quarantine area was made too
small. Second only one dipping was
required. So. u.
When the present administration
took hold it discovered that the dis
ease instead of having been checked
was in, reality spreading. Drastic
measures were promptly DECIDED upon
by the new sanitary, board. q Fourteen
townships. were added to the quaran-
tine area to cover air possible ex-
posed cattle, making total of Is
townships under control. Instead of
a single dipping the state insisted
upon: two dippings season for all
exposed animals, while infected ami
mails were dipped three and four
times. @ - 80 !.
Cattlemen at the time were strongly
opposed to the severity of the new
regulations but since then have come
to realize rthes~ wisdom of the state
authorities in insisting upon them.
Under state. direction nine concrete
dipping watts were constructed, and
although the cattlemen were required
to stand the expense of this improve
ment, ,StIey have discovered In them
a permanent asset. In other words
the stOckmen have been won oyer ito
the theory of dipping as a precautions
ary measure and regular yearly
custom. The process kills of the
vermin and diseases with which the
hides become infested during the
winter, thus adding materially to the
general health of the animals.
One of the first steps of the new
administration was to secure $1O,-
600 emergency appropriation with
which to combat the disease. Drift
fences were built to control quaran-
tine 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 battle
against the infection. 1t has been an
obstinate enemy to overcomeb but
the battle has been won and today
finds the cattlemen of the state as
we'll as the states sanitary forces
rejoicing over the fact that the cat.