The Twenty-First Report 

 of the State Entomologist of Montana 



ORGANIZATION FOR INSECT PEST CONTROL 



With the laws now in force in Montana and many of the 

 county agents and the Experiment Station conducting research 

 on pest problems that need attention, the State is well organ- 

 ized for the handling of pest outbreaks and for advising on the 

 numerous cases of minor damage by insects. However, at the 

 present time Montana is not providing a sufficient sum to make 

 this organization effective. The legislature of 1925 provided 

 a fund of only $500, which was not enough to employ a man 

 for the control work demanded by the State laws. 



An appeal was made to the Extension Service and Mr. 

 W. B. Mabee was appointed on half time and took up his duties 

 on June 1, 1926. He was able to conduct the extensive corre- 

 spondence concerning insect pests and to respond to some calls 

 from different parts of the State. One-half of his time is paid 

 for by the Experiment Station and he is obliged to devote that 

 amount of time to research work. 



Mr. Mabee did not go on duty until it was too late to put 

 on a campaign for the destruction of the Mormon cricket. That 

 pest continued to spread during 1926 and now covers some 

 250,000 acres. Even if Mr. Mabee devotes all of his time to 

 this one problem during the months when effective work can 

 be done — May, June, and July — he can not begin to do what 

 will be needed in 1927. It will be necessary to appoint some 

 temporary assistants. If he were to spend all of his time on 

 this one project, other parts of the State would have to get 

 along without service ; and the correspondence with persons who 

 apply by letter for assistance would either have to go unan- 

 swered or be handled by men in the Experiment Station who 

 are paid for other duties. 



In every year since 1917 there has been an insect pest out- 

 break of real importance in some part of Montana, so the prob- 



