6 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 474 



(2) Areas had to be delimited in which the available funds 

 could be used. This is difficult if not impossible to accomplish in 

 a fair manner when only approximately 16% of the total infested 

 area can be treated. 



(3) It is impractical for stockmen to rely on the availability 

 of governmental funds when in outbreak years (which cannot be 

 accurately predicted) their entire operation may be at stake. 



(4) As has been previously indicated, the toxaphene or 

 chlordane dry bran bait is not effective at all times against range 

 land grasshoppers under Montana conditions. 



It will be noted in the 1950 program that some of these im- 

 perfections have been successfuly dealt with. In the section headed 

 "Grasshopper Investigations", it will be seen that other imperfec- 

 tions are receiving extensive consideration. The ultimate objective 

 should probably be a program of outbreak prevention — stopping 

 the grasshoppers on a much smaller scale before they get started. 

 This objective is well within the realm of reason, and it can in all 

 probability be accomplished by the individual stockman to his 

 direct economic advantage. 



Sodium fluosilicate bran sawdust wet bait materials were made 

 available to those counties desiring to participate in a crop land 

 bait program to the extent of mixing the bait and making it avail- 

 able to farmers. During 1949, 1,594 farmers and ranchers parti- 

 cipated in spreading sodium fluosilicate wet bait. Approximately 

 877,807 acres of crop lands were protected by this program which 

 represented an estimated saving of $6,885,636 to the farmers and 

 ranchers. In addition, an estimated 63,218 acres were protected by 

 chlordane sprays, and 282,320 acres were protected by toxaphene 

 sprays. A grand total of 1,223,345 acres was, therefore, protected 

 by the crop land grasshopper control program. It is estimated 

 that, in spite of this rather extensive crop land grasshopper control 

 program, §6.982,889 worth of crops were destroyed by grasshoppers 

 in 1949. 



1950 SEASON 



There were more grasshoppers over the state as a whole in 

 1950 than there were in 1949. In general, the damage was moderate 

 due to excellent growing conditions for crops and range plants. 

 Economic populations occurred in the north central (east to North 

 Dakota) , southeastern, and south central portions of the state. 

 Smaller, more localized infestations occurred in the extreme north- 

 western and southeastern areas. The grasshopper species distribu- 

 tion was about the same as in 1949, except that Camnula pellucida 

 was present in greater numbers in the north central and north- 

 western areas. 



