38 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT Of AGRICULTUHB, l 
CEREAL AND FORAGE INSECTS 
Grasshoppers 
Control programs in \ l ) til protected extensive crop and range lands 
In the summer of L948 farm crops worth $68,000, were saved 
l'\ grasshopper eont rol programs. Nearly 8,700,000 acres of crops and 
pasture lands woe protected from these pests by various measures. It 
cost the cooperating agencies $1,9] I. 1 "") to conduct baiting operations 
during the year. The program Bayed about $55 for each dollar spent, 
exclusive of farmer-rancher services. 
Ln addition to the cooperat Lve bail ing program, two types of control 
operations were conducted by the tanner- and ranchers themselves. 
Many of them purchased cnlordane, toxaphene, or benzene I 
chloride, which they applied as -pray- of du-t-. About 1 . I 1 H '."< K) 
acres in -J" States were treated in this way in L948 at a coal of nearly 
$4,000,000 for insecticides alone. A voluntary baiting program was 
also conducted by more than -Ih.non farmers and ranchers in 22 State-. 
M<.re than 17,000 tons of sodium fluosilicate bait, furnished by the 
Federal Government, were spread on 3,200,000 acres. Tin- Bureau 
also financed spreading an additional 1,650 tons of bait and applied 
35,000 gallons of spray on roadsides, pastures, and rangelands in 9 
Stan-. These operations included Large-scale experiments in 1 State-. 
In spite of the unparalleled scale of these eont rol operations and the. 
excellent control obtained. Losses to grasshoppers in L948 were the 
highest since 1939. Conservative estimates placed crop Losses at 
$37,000,000, and damage to range land was extensive. 
1949 outbreaks fought with new baits applied by airplane 
A progressive increase in numbers, especially of the Lesser migrat 
grasshopper, throughout the western Plain- States from Texas to 
Canada has been noted for several year-. By the fall of 1948 about 
5 to 6 million acre- of range Land a- well as large agricultural area- 
were heavily infested with about 25 species. Survey- at that time 
indicated that the infestation would be even more widespread in 1949, 
and thai the migrations into cultivated area- would he heavier unle-s 
aggressive measures were taken. 
Weather conditions in the spring of L949 favored grasshopper de- 
velopment so that the infestations were even heavier than had been 
expected, and on a few million acres in Montana and Wyoming the. 
situation was especially critical. 'To meet this emergency a special 
control program was conducted in cooperation with State and county 
;il'> ncies and property ov« tiers, 
Bait containing toxaphene or chlordane as the toxicant was dis- 
tributed from aircraft, both Government owned and contract. The 
operations were begun on dune ;.. while the grasshoppers were in the 
nymphal stage and before they could migrate to range and crop 
noninfested areas. At first the bait was applied at t he rate of 5 pounds 
per acre, but later it was found necessar} t<> use heavier dosages in 
-•'me areas to obtain maximum kill of the adults. Ranchers and 
farmers Outside I'Ut near the treated area- were furni-hed bait for 
