166 BIOLOGICAL PROBLEMS 



culture, and notwithstanding the laborious investi- 

 gations of our entomologists, we lose annually millions 

 of pounds' worth of food and timber by the destruction 

 of our wheat, our roots, our cabbages, onions, carrots, 

 and forest trees by insects. 



But I would ask: Have we really made any serious 

 effort to solve these problems? Our ignorance of the 

 fundamental facts that underlie them is almost com- 

 plete. We have no systematic records of the pre- 

 valence and distribution of insect pests, we have no 

 reliable estimates of the damage that is done in suc- 

 cessive years, we have no data upon which we can 

 form conclusions on the relation of the severity of 

 winter to the prevalence of insect pests in the follow- 

 ing summer. We are working, in fact, almost entirely 

 in the dark. 



What is wanted in this country is an official 

 entomological office or bureau which will collect and 

 tabulate the records of responsible entomologists in 

 all parts of the country on the prevalence of the worst 

 kinds of insect pests. We want a staff of trained 

 men, as they have in Canada and the United States 

 of America, prepared to travel to any part of the 

 country at a moment's notice to deal with a sudden 

 outburst of a dangerous pest, and, when we have 

 sufficient knowledge of conditions, there should be 

 official warnings issued to farmers, similar to the 

 meteorological warnings, as to the probability of the 

 prevalence of pests in different districts. 



It is true that the cost of such a bureau would 

 be heavy, but I am convinced that both the initial 

 capital that would be required and the annual ex- 

 penditure is a trifle compared with the millions of 

 pounds' worth of damage that is done every year 

 to our food crops, and which can and should be 

 prevented. 



