The Hardin tribune-herald. [volume] (Hardin, Mont.) 1925-1973, 1934-06-15
POISON
BEING SPREAD
EXTENSIVE CAMPAIGN Elk
WAY TO COMBAT INFESTAIloN
OF PESTS IN STATE
limited States is Working in Coopera-
ton With Dominion Provinces 10
Suppress Hoppers in Northern Wheat
ReIt. More Poison Available.

=
Over $4,000 tons of graSshopper
halt provided by the federal govern
ment without direct cost to Montana
farmers have been made available
says Paul Carpenter, extension econo-
mist at Montana State college. HAN
of this bait has been received n a
considerable tonnage spread.
Plans call for making the balance OF
the bait available as needed. Every ser
iously infested county in the state mas
been organized for timely and e1tectlVe
batting. Each community IN these
counties has one or more committee
men in charge and the program OF scat
tering bait is well underway.
CARPENTER recalls that there is a feel
ing in some sections that drouth con-
ditions promise to make poisoning al
but useless. The claim is made that
hoppers cannot live to the fall egg-lay-
ing period in the drier areas OF the
state. E~ntomologiStS state there IS no
instance on record where hopper in
festations have beer wiped out by lack
of feed, in fact feed shortage tends to
increase egg laying. With no crop In
sight for 1884 in a number of districts.
the possibility of harvesting a crop even
next veal seems to depend upon batting
now. There is no indication yet that
looked for grasshopper diseases may
check the 1885 threatened damage.
THE grasshopper batting campaign
is being conducted in Montana and
other states by agreement with Can
ada under which agreement we are as
sured that the provinces to the north
will be baited thoroughly. Growers in
counties along the boundary certainly
appreciate the need for international
action, mindful of the invasion of hop
perS from Canada last season. The
Canadian batting protects growers for
long distances south of the line. Only
by active poisoning by growers in all
infested areas can this country live up
to its agreement" Carpenter says.
The drouth situation in many parts
of the state has become extremely criti-
cal, Carpenter says. Fortunately that
portion Of the state west Of the con-
tinental divide, and other considerable
areas east of the divide, has had from a
fair to a very good season to date. Con-
ditions in those localities are still sat-
iSfactory.
THE extension service has made a
survey of all available range not only
in this but in adjoining states, but very
little range is available for the use Of
operators in the drouth-stricken areas"
Carpenter says. In certain sections Of
the state water holes are drying up or
have dried up and grass within reach
OF water is very scarce. Stockmen OF
the state and their representatives have
been consulted about possible relief
measures. Director j. c. Taylor of the
Montana Extension service, participant
ed in a meeting at Salt Lake City for
the western states and at st. Paul with
representatives of other northern states
attempting to devise ways and means
for handling the situation so hat live
stock losses may be held to the mini
mum.
THE administration in Washington
already has designated some 20 counties
of this state, all of them in the eastern
part, as so-called secondary drouth
counties. If the emergency continues
so that conditions will justify it, these
and other counties of the state may be
designated as so-called emergency
drouth counties in which case the gov
eminent will step in, possibly buying
some of the stock and shipping out or
providing seed for feed crops so that
if rain should come the seed could be
planted and hay harvested.
The Montana Extension service is
putting forth every effort to keep in
touch with this situation so hat full
information may be made available
to the relief agencies who will no doubt
be called upon to handle and supervise
the situation"