18 MONTANA EXPEEIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 



From the experience of the 1934 campaign it can be said very 

 definitelj- that the results in any county or community are directly 

 proportional to the amount of supervision available. Better work 

 was done in the three districts where district supervisors were em- 

 ployed than in the other two districts. With a few notable exceptions, 

 better results were obtained in counties where the county leaders could 

 devote all their time to the control of grasshoppers. 



CONTROL OF GRASSHOPPERS BY POISONED BAIT IN 1934 

 Table 2 gives the amount of grasshopper bait supplied under the 

 federal appropriation to each of 51 counties of the state. The total 

 bait from this source was 19,109 tons. In addition to the federal bait 

 ten counties received a total of 340 tons of bait from an appropri- 

 ation made for this purpose hy the Montana Relief Commission, and 

 Fergus County purchased sixty tons. Consequently there was avail- 

 able altogether 19,509 tons. The formula used by the federal gov- 

 ernment and followed also in preparing the relief bait was as fol- 

 lows : 



Bran _ 50 per cent 



Sawdust 30 per cent 



Cane molasses 15 per cent 



Crude arsenic 5 per cent 



(90 per cent arsenions oxide) 

 All the bait was mixed in feed mills located in Billings and Liv- 

 ingston, Montana, and at several different points in Minnesota. The 

 bran, sawdust, and arsenic, in correct proportions, were fed into con- 

 tinuous mixers which, by means of mechanical agitators, beat these 

 ingredients together thoroughly before the hot molasses was sprayed 

 on to them. Contrary to popular belief, the molasses was used pri- 

 marilv as a binder, for otherwise much of the drv arsenic would 

 have separated from the bran and sawdust during shipment. Al- 

 though the formula used could have been cheapened somewhat and 

 still would have given as good results in most localities, the necessity 

 of providing a bait which would give the very best results under a 

 wide variety of conditions prevented the officers in charge from 

 taking any such chances. Their judgment in this regard was cer- 

 tainly' beyond reproach and had the backing of ever}' entomologist 

 in the various states concerned in the campaign. 



It is very difficult to predict exactly when grasshopper eggs are 

 going to liateh. This is solely on account of our not being able to 



