414 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1919, 
to the production of certain crops. A notable example of such 
insects was the potato aphis, a species which previously had done 
almost no damage, but which appeared in countless numbers through- 
out certain of the Middle Western States in the early summer of 
that year. Notable work was done with the destruction of grass- 
hoppers by the poisoned-bait method, and it is safe to say that many 
hundreds of thousands of dollars, perhaps millions of dollars, worth 
of food crops were saved in this unusually intensive work. A single 
instance among many may be given in more detail. 
In the State of Kansas the season of 1918 was remarkable for one 
of the worst grasshopper outbreaks that have occurred in that State 
since 1913. The danger of this outbreak was recognized during the 
fall of 1917, and a grasshopper-egg survey was instituted in coopera- 
tion between the State Agricultural College and the Bureau of Ento- 
mology. The results of this survey showed that without doubt a 
great hatching of grasshoppers was imminent, and extensive coopera- 
tive plans were immediately made. Winter meetings were held 
throughout many of the counties in the western one-third of the 
State, and the farmers were organized and plans matured for the 
purpose of purchasing bran in large quantities, and then prompt 
distribution of poison was made as soon as the grasshoppers began 
to hatch. In eight counties of the State 36,000 pounds of white 
arsenic in 366 tons of wheat bran were used in the preparation of 
poison bait, which was distributed in an amount exceeding 900 tons. 
The counties cooperated in most cases financially. As a result of this 
general application of the bait, it appears that some 113,000 acres of 
wheat were saved from destruction. Estimating 14 bushels per acre, 
which is considered a full crop in western Kansas, with wheat at 
$2 per bushel, this represents a value of approximately $3,000,000 
saved in Kansas. This figure is considered conservative, according 
to the officials of the State Agricultural College. . 
In addition to the control work on grasshoppers affecting wheat 
fields, it is estimated that 25,000 pounds of poison bait was used 
throughout Kansas for the purpose of protecting alfalfa and sugar 
beets, and it is estimated that 100,000 acres of alfalfa in western 
Kansas was saved by this application. With alfalfa selling at $20 
per ton, this represented $2,500,000. 
It should be mentioned incidentally that all this control work bids 
fair to be greatly hampered by the derangement of the insecticide 
situation in this country, due to war activities. Not only was the 
importation of arsenicals stopped, but their production was greatly 
limited by the fact that the smelters, from which arsenical com- 
pounds are gained as by-products, were so rushed in the production 
of urgently needed metal that by-product industries were largely 
