EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST 11 



1920 and many farmers believed it to be the army cutworm or con- 

 fused it with the pale western cutworm, alfalfa weevil, and various 

 other pests of which they had heard. It is primarily a destroyer of 

 weeds and particularly favors pigweed, Russian thistle, and various 

 other related plants. It has in many instances fed extensively on 

 Russian thistles throughout grain crops without doing any damage 

 to the grain. This is the worm which farmers find quite frequently 

 if they examine the ground under Russian thistles, especially through 

 northern and eastern Montana. It is about three-quarters of an 

 inch in length when full grown, pale yellow below and a greenish 

 black above, marked by several white or olive stripes running the 

 full length of the body. It is to be expected that this insect will 

 disappear soon, due to parasitism. We can not, however, predict 

 with certainty how long it will remain. It can not be looked upon 

 as a pest of great importance excepting where it interferes with the 

 sugar-beet industry or destroys gardens. 



NEEDS AND PLANS 



The Experiment Station Entomologist is by law ex-officio State 

 Entomologist of Montana. From an appropriation of $300 at the 

 outset this fund has grown by steps until in 1920 it was $3300. The 

 State Entomologist serves without extra salary for this work and 

 employs an assistant or deputy who, under his direction, conducts 

 much of the work of the office. The assistant necessarily spend- 

 much of his time in the field as the particular function of this work- 

 is to take actual knowledge of insect control to the farmers and 

 assist them in saving their crops. Grasshopper outbreaks are the 

 occasion for trips to various parts of the state where the farmers 

 are brought together and organized and assisted in securing suitable 

 supplies of poison, bran, etc. The assistant works in cooperation 

 with the county agents. Besides such major pests as grasshoppers 

 and cutworms, there are a great many others of lesser importance 

 which in the aggregate have caused severe losses in Montana each 

 year, or would if they were not controlled, and without doubt the 

 small sum appropriated is returned to the state many times over in 

 the savings effected on the farms. 



The work has grown during recent years to such an extent that 

 it is no longer possible to come anywhere near meeting the demands 

 made upon the office with only one assistant. It is respectfullv 



