region of [daho and western Montana, /•'. petiolare, R. lacustre, and 
/.'. fiscosissimum growing on L,858 acres were sprayed with 2,4-D, 
2,4,5-T, or ammonium sulfamate. Several species of ribes mon 
less resistant to 2,4-D were killed with 2,4,5-T. The work of treating 
large R. cereum and R. nevadensi bushes was done more rapidly by 
applying the ester of 2,4-D in a Light, penetrating oil to the basal 
parts of the stems. 
Wider use was made of the one-man method of ribes removal in all 
regions. This is a radical change from former crew methods in that 
each man works alone covering a strip about - 1 - chains wide. This 
method fixes individual responsibility for the amount of ground cov- 
ered and tin 1 thoroughness of ribes removal. Poor work is quickly 
discovered and corrected. The method has resulted in greater pro- 
duct ion and higher efficiency. 
Ribes eradication work conducted under contract to private indi- 
viduals on designated area- was expanded somewhat in the western 
regions. All participating agencies issued 107 contracts for ribes 
eradication in tne sugar-pine region. Ribes bushes were removed from 
15,000 acre- at an average cost of $4.86 an acre. In the western white- 
pine region 1 1 contract- were issued by the Forest Service. The work 
accomplished by this method is better in both quality and quantity 
than that done by seasonal crews. The use of the method is now lim- 
ited by lack of qualified bidders. As the number of bidders increases, 
bid price- will be lower and greater use will be made of this method. 
Two small camps of l- to L5 worker-, a cook and a superintendent 
were operated in rework areas in the western white-pine region. The 
small camp has several advantages over the •"» (| - to 60-man camp- for 
work in the smaller and more scattered rework area-. Morale and 
employee relation- are better, and supervision of field work is not 
handicapped by problems in camp administration. In these camps 
there was no labor turnover in L948. The installation of such camps 
is less costly, and they can he more strategically located than larger 
• •amp-. All these advantages contribute to greater production per 
worker and consequent lower costs. 
Ribes bushes removed from 1,679,000 acres 
Federal and State cooperating agencies removed over 20,500,000 
bushes from 1,679,000 acres during the calendar year L048. 
Ahum one-third of the work represented initial removal of ribes. 
The remainder was the reworking of partially protected area- t<> 
maintain control of blister rust and further the establishment of ribes- 
conditions. Control of the rust became fully established on more 
than 743,000 acres, and this acreage was placed on a maintenance 
3tatus. 
Field operations were conducted on a -mailer scale than in the 
piv\ urn- year. Labor was more plentiful and of better quality. A 
total of 188,800 effective man days were used. At the peak <>f the 
on t,980 persons were employed by the Federal, State, and private 
ooperating in ribes eradication, and 90 camps were operated 
1 II f( ilV-l (M I II It'll-. 
