10 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 333 



20 per cent of the range in central and eastern Montana and a 

 value of 10 cents per acre for the grass destroyed. 



Drought has been, of course, an important factor in the 

 depletion of the range, but any doubt concerning the part that 

 is played by grasshoppers can be dispelled by an examination 

 of the picture on the cover page of this report. Grass de- 

 veloped in spite of the drought but was eaten down to the 

 ground by hordes of grasshoppers. If we should include the 

 financial losses incident to the forced movement or sale of 

 livestock directly connected with grasshopper damage to range 

 grasses, to say nothing of the loss to cultivated crops by the 

 migrations into them of range species, the total loss encountered 

 would be at least twice that indicated above, or approximately 

 S3. 500. 000. When we consider that the direction of our agri- 

 cultural development has turned strongly toward the improve- 

 ment and better use of our grazing resources, this problem as- 

 sumes no small importance as a factor contributing to the future 

 prosperity of the state. 



The problem is not a new one; it has just presented itself in 

 a new light. WTien v\'e are successful in preventing by means of 

 poisoned bait about one-half the loss that would otherwise occur 

 to our cultivated crops, (actually we could do far better) it 

 seems almost absurd that nothing so far has been done to pre- 

 vent at least a part of the heavy losses to our range. In the 

 late 1870's and early 80's. again from 1900 to 1904. and to a lesser 

 extent in the early 1920's grasshoppers did tremendous damage to 

 our grass lands. In the past, with the return of years of greater 

 precipitation, the grass revived while at the same time conditions 

 were unfavorable to grasshopper development and they deceased to 

 unimportant numbers. The sam.e will no doubt happen again if we 

 do nothing at all. But why should we take that viewpoint in regard 

 to the range and not in regard to other valuable crops? The reason 

 is that it has never been demonstrated in this country that range 

 grasshoppers can be controlled on a sound economic basis. 



There are two possible approach '^^i to the solution of the 

 problem: (1) Await the return of ye^-^j^ of higher precipitation 

 with conditions unfavorable to grasshoppf..',''dev£lopment. When 

 natural causes have depleted their numbers then keep them 

 down by the diligent use of poison in areas where outbreaks 



