292 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [November, 



ing this long experience and knowledge that I have gained, various State 

 authorities try to force upon me certificates of nursery inspection signed 

 by political appointees or by men that are never heard of in the sense of 

 technical workers. When I refuse to accept these, I am abused and 

 reviled even to the point of very ungentlemanly expressions by some 

 persons, but I have made up my mind that from this on no political offi- 

 cer or other untrained person shall be able to force a certificate on me. 

 Unscientific as our economic work may often be, it is certainly worthy of 

 some professional standing, and I shall see to it that it is so recognized 

 in this State, and that other States dealing with us shall give us the word 

 of a man equally well trained as we profess to be. In doing this I believe 

 I am taking a proper stand, which should be the position of all trained 

 workers." 



I thoroughly coincide with Prof. Alwood, and all entomologists will 

 undoubtedly agree that a proper professional standard should be main- 

 tained in economic work, or our efforts will only meet with ridicule. If 

 such offices are pandered out as political rewards, we, as entomologists, 

 must set our faces against such practices. HERNV SKINNER. 



DEAR DR. SKINNER : 



Kindly permit me to say that I have never refused the certificate of any 

 man because he did not belong to the American Association of Economic 

 Entomologists. I have always insisted that persons issuing such certifi- 

 cates should be known to the members of this association as competent 

 persons, or that the actual work of inspection should be done by a known 

 worker trained in economic entomology. My position has been very 

 much misrepresented by disgruntled persons. The whole gist of our 

 requirements are contained in the following paragraph : 



It will be the policy of this office to accept only certificates which show 

 that the examination has been made by a person or persons of proper 

 credentials as to their competency; i.e. , known entomologists or persons 

 vouched for by known entomologists. Very sincerely, W. B. ALWOOD. 



The above correspondence is useful and important, giving rise to some 

 very interesting questions. The State Entomologist of Virginia declares 

 that the laws of New York and Pennsylvania must accord, not in essen- 

 tials, but in detail, with the law of Virginia as interpreted by him, and he 

 prescribes the qualifications that an inspector in those States must have. 

 Indeed, he goes further and fixes the evidence that is required as an en- 

 tomologist from some one known to him. The legality of these regula- 

 tions is very decidedly questionable ; but aside from this, there is another 

 result. I have had the advantage of a personal meeting with the Penn- 

 sylvania Inspector, and while he is in no sense of the word an entomolo- 

 gist, I am convinced that he is perfectly able to find and recognize San 

 Jose scale if it exists. As to his honesty in the performance of his duties, 

 I must take it on trust, as I do that of all other inspectors. If I under- 

 stood him correctly, Prof. Forbes holds that he cannot, in Illinois, refuse 



