NINETEENTH EEPOET OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 11 



ESTIMATED CROP SAVING IN GRASSHOPPER CAMPAIGN 

 It will be noted in the tabulations regarding the grasshoppei 

 campaigns of 1921 and 1922 that a monetary value was placed on crops 

 saved in only eighteen counties for each year. This does not mean 

 that the other counties, for which estimates of saving were not made, 

 found the use of the poisoned bran mash of no benefit. On the con- 

 trary, in many of these counties the proportion of crop saved through 

 fighting the grasshoppers was so great that to make anywhere near 

 accurate estimates seemed impossible. In Flathead County, particu- 

 larly in 1921, the opinion among the farmers and others qualified to 

 judge was unanimous that had not the grasshoppers been destroyed 

 very little crop would have been harvested. Although this was es- 

 pecially true in the western counties for which estimates were not 

 given, it held true also for practically all the central and eastern Mon- 

 tana counties where, without any doubt, the proportion of crop saved 

 was somewhat less. Then, too, no attempt was made to secure esti- 

 mates on crops saved in any but counties employing county agents. 

 Taking these things into consideration, the total money saved during 

 these years through organized grasshopper campaigns was very much 

 greater than actually shown by the tables given. 



THE PAKE WESTERN CUTWORM 



Losses to wheat and other crops due to the pale western cutworm 

 (Porosagrotis orthogonia Morr.) were not as severe in 1921 as in 

 1920, and during the past season (1922) the insect was of little con- 

 sequence. Even though increased injury was suffered in some sec- 

 tions in 1921, it can be said for the entire area known to be infested 

 that that year marked the first noticeable decrease in losses since this 

 insect came into prominence as one of the most important pests of 

 grain crops in Montana. 



The following table shows a comparison, in so far as data were 

 available, in percentages of total seeded areas destroyed from .1920 

 to 1922. 



County 1920 1921 1922 



Broadwater 23.9% 8.0% 0% 



Cascade __ 35.0 30.0 



Chouteau 30.7 10.0 



Dawson _ 10.0 



Fallon 12.0 



