XXVIII REPOET OF THE SECRETARY OF AGRICULTURE. 

 WORK AGAINST INJURIOUS INSECTS. 



Important work has been done against insects damaging forests 

 in the far Northwest and in the woods of Maine. Experimental work 

 has been carried on against the scale insects injurious to fruit trees and 

 against insects affecting garden crops. 



Further work has been done on the Hessian fly, the codling moth of 

 the Northwest, toward the exact delimitation of the permanent breed- 

 ing grounds of the migrator}^ grasshoppers of the Northwest, and 

 on the geographic distribution of the injurious insects of the United 

 States. 



PUBLICATIONS ON MOSQUITOES. 



The recent publications of this Division on the subject of mosquitoes 

 have been greeted b}^ medical men of this country with decided 

 approval. Physicians are shown how to distinguish the mosquitoes 

 which are responsible for the spreading of malaria from those that do 

 not carry the malarial parasites, and there is also pointed out the 

 means by which certain neighborhoods can be freed of mosquitoes and 

 consequently of malaria. 



WORK ON BIBLIOGRAPHY AND BEE CULTURE. 



Work has been conducted on the bibliograph}" of American economic 

 entomologv, as well as experimental work along much-needed lines of 

 investigation in bee culture. 



DIVISION OF BOTANY. 



SEED TESTING. 



As the mandate of Congress has laid upon the Department of Agri- 

 culture the work of purchasing and distributing larger amounts of 

 seed than ever before, the duty of carrying out this task in an effective 

 manner has become still more imperative than formerly. For several 

 years past the Division of Botany, by ni}^ direction, has tested the 

 seeds of the Congressional distribution to ascertain their mechanical 

 purit}^ and germination. The importance of these tests will be appre- 

 ciated when it is known that the average mechanical purity of the 

 seeds distributed last year was 97.3. The average germination of the 

 same seeds was 91.4. These averages 1 consider indicate the high 

 character of the seeds in the Congressional distribution, so far as 

 mechanical purity and germination are concerned. It has been alleged, 

 however, that while the seeds distributed by the Department were of 

 highly creditable germination and mechanical purity, they were defi- 

 cient in purity of stock, genuineness, or trueness to name. Tests to 

 ascertain the validity of these allegations were therefore inaugurated. 



