138 MONTANA EXPERIMENT STATION 



and a general lack of knowledge of the facts of the case. 

 We have been repeatedly called upon to give information to persons 

 who were thinking of buying property in Montana and had been led 

 to believe that climatic and other conditions were such that, while 

 fruits reach a high stage of perfection, their pests are unable to live 

 here. 



It is not the aim of the State Entomologist to interfere with the 

 development of our agricultural industries by needlessly advertising 

 the pests that are to be found here or that are expected to appear, but 

 it is our purpose to discover the facts and make them known through 

 the regular publicity channels of the ]\Tontana Agricultural College. 



FARMERS AND FRUIT GROWERS NEED MORE INFORMATION. 



It is clearly our duty, also, to gather and distribute as rapidly as 

 [possible the information needed by our farmers and fruit grower.s 

 for the control of the pests of their various crops. It is a remark- 

 able fact that, in very man}- cases, it is not only necessary to devise 

 and make known effective remedies for each pest, but also to apprise 

 tlie farmer of the fact that the insect or disease is working in his 

 crop and doing damage. Our observations in the State have brought 

 out strikingly the fact that the farmer, as a rule, does not notice that 

 cin injury is being done to his crops until it becomes very serious- A 

 lecent experience illustrates this. Knowing that the army cutworm 

 v/as causing serious losses in some parts of the State, the writer 

 Lt)ok occasion to inquire of a farmer if the worms were injuring a 

 certain large field that he owned. He replied that he had recentlv 

 been through the field but had been unable to find any of the 

 v,'orms. The writer was passing the place the same day and went 

 in to look for the pest. In a general way the crop appeared well 

 and only in spots was an injury from cutworms apparent, yet the 

 worms were very abundant, though not amounting to an "army". 

 It was estimated that there were at least two Vv'^orms to every square 

 foot in the field, or 87,432 worms per acre. In other words they were 

 abundant enough to do real damage to the crop, and doubtless the 

 yield was distinctly reduced. In man^^ instances we have had similar 

 experiences with various kinds of crops. 



There is a growing interest in these subjects, and many farmers 

 and fruit growers are anxious for information. 



