32 MOXTAXA EXPERIMENT STATIOX P-l'LLETIX^ 294 



but not enough of them were exterminated to alleviate conditions in 

 1935 to any great extent. 



In addition to the Crow Reservation and three areas in Carbon 

 County, Mormon criekets increased to alarming numbers in parts of 

 Fergus, Judith Basin, Chouteau. Pondera, Glacier, and Lake counties. 

 They have been l)ad before in Lake County but not in the other new 

 localities where they have made their recent appearance. The logical 

 thing to do is to wipe out these infestations before control work will 

 become much more costly. The Bureau of Entomology, U. S. D. A. 

 has estimated that the following acreages will have to be treated for 

 crickets in 1935 : 



Crow Indian Reservation, including parts of 



Big Horn, Ye.lowstone, and Carbon counties 20,000 acres 



Fergus County 500 n 



Judith Basin County - 1,000 u 



Chouteau County 750 n 



Pondera County 1,600 n 



Glacier ("ounty 960 i. 



Lake County 200 



Total 25,010 acres 



The cost of these operations is estimated at $34,476. As several 

 other western states are facing a similar situation in regard to the 

 Mormon cricket, an effort will be made in the present session of 

 Congress to obtain financial support for the work. While these esti- 

 mates include the hiring of foremen in charge of the dusting crews, 

 no general supervision by men with entomological training is provided. 

 This is expected to come from the state. 



THE PALE WESTERN CUTWORM 



The prevalence of the pale western cutworm (Agrotis orthogonia 

 ^lorr. ) is determined very largely by the "Slay. June, and July rainfa'l 

 of the previous year. Following two years of low rainfall this cut- 

 Vi'orm attains such abundance that widespread destruction of grain 

 crops is the usual result. Such was the case in 1932 as described in 

 the Twenty-fourth Report of the State Entomologist. Some "hang- 

 over" from the large 1932 outbreak was evident in 1933 and consider- 

 able loss of wheat v,as experienced in Valley. Fergus, and Cascade 

 counties. Practically no losses occurred in 1934. 



In 1932 only three weather-reporting stations in ^lontana re- 

 l>orted fainfall for Slay. June, and July of less than four inches. 



