The frontiersman., 1952-08-14
NOTES FROM YOUR EXTENSION SERVICE
RICHARD T. BLUE Biological Warfare

S IAAS 1SdACOI O1 lllG SOCL Ct1 Civil Defense Administration, the U. $. D. A. has set up a program to protect livestock, crops and forests against intentional intro duction and spread of disease and pests.
 The very fact that our crops and livestock are healthy and pro- ductive makes them particularly vulnerable to attack with foreign diseases and insect pests. The mobility of our livestock industry makes it possible for a damaging animal disease, once introduced, to spread rapidly throughout the country if it were not detected immediately. Foot and mouth disease, rinderpest, fowl plague, and Asiatic or other virulent types of Newcastle disease are ex- amples of foreign animal diseases. New and injurious insects and plant diseases could be introduced that would cut down our produc- tion of essential food, feed, and fiber crops. At the same time, dis eases and insects already in this country, some of them, only in restricted areas, could be purpose ly spread Cereal rusts, several varieties of willis and blights, po- tato Wart, and pink bollworm are examples. However, a good or ganizaticn and plan for defense can reduce very materially the hazards of such an attack.
 Alert farmers and ranchers are the key to success. Once a foreign disease or insect pest has been in- troduced, or familiar type is spreading rapidly, the success of the defense against it depends in very large degree upon the alert ness of the grower or livestock owner. If he finds evidence of such a disease or pest of plants, he should report it immediately to the agricultural agent. A sample of the diseased or injured plant, or the insect that seems to be involved should be given to the agricultural agent as soon as pos sible. Insects or samples of plant diseases should not be sent to anyone other than the agricultural agent unless the farmer is in structed to do so by responsible agricultural authorities. By carry ing or shipping them around the country, the risk of spreading them would be increased.
 The livestock owner also should watch carefully for signs of any unusual disease, or for evidence of unusual spread of a familiar disease. Suspicious symptoms of such animal disease should be re- ported immediately to the veterin- ary official. Constant vigilance and immediate reporting will greatly aid in setting up our fight ing defenses in time to wipe out the disease before it causes dam aging losses.
 Producers can reduce very ma terially the possibilities of damage from a biological warfare attack on farms by giving a little extra attention to a few well known practices of plant and animal hus- bandry - proven through the years, but even more important in times of emergency: Learn as much as possible about the dis eases, insects, and other pests that night appear; keep a careful watch over livestock and crops and report any unusual disease, insect, or other pest or any un- usual increase in the occurrence of familiar types; give extra atten- tion to approved measures of san itation and disease prevention in herds and flocks; isolate sick ami mals, dispose of those that die of disease; plant disease resistant varieties of crops; treat seed ac- cording to approved methods; practice insect and plan disease control with timely use of insect icides and fungicides and help prevent the spread of damaging rumOrS.
 Alaska's leaders of biological warfare selected by Territorial agricultural agencies are: Live