BUEEAU OF ENTOMOLOGY. 267 



field. An average of To specialists from the bureau lias been main- 

 tained, 109 men having been employed during the year. The ap- 

 parent increase in the personnel, in spite of its prospective termina- 

 tion at the end of the fiscal year, is due to the large force engaged to 

 spread information and to do survey work in the attempted control 

 of the imported European corn borer and in the extension of the 

 oriental peach moth activities of the bureau. 



The policy during the ,year has been gradually to reduce the person- 

 nel and to place this work on a permanent basis in the State extension 

 service. A number of the agents engaged in extension work were 

 transferred to fill vacancies in the research branches of the bureau's 

 activities. 



Owing to the success of permanently connecting the field agents 

 Avith the extension staff of a State, instead of carrying on the work 

 from a regional standpoint as was clone last year, the work has been 

 placed in a much better position to be finally absorbed by the State 

 than would have been possible otherwise. 



Most of the beekeeping work has been placed upon a definite co- 

 operative basis and financed jointly by the State and the bureau. The 

 balance of the work, however, has been entirely financed by the Fed- 

 eral Government. 



The work on control of insects affecting domestic animals was a 

 notable exception to this plan. As there were very few men fitted 

 to do extension work along this line, it was found necessary to have 

 the bureau's agents cover several States during the working season. 



During the year 69,000 people were reached. This decrease from 

 last year was largely due to the rapid decrease in the personnel at 

 that time of the year when the most effective extension work can be 

 carried on. 



The bureau's representative in this work is cooperating with the 

 States Relations Service by inspecting and criticizing all projects 

 submitted for Smith-Lever fund work along entomological lines. 



Another activity of this office has been the work in connection with 

 the bureau's entomological exhibits. This year an exhibit of photo- 

 graphic bromide enlargements illustrating the most important insect 

 and control methods, models of insect-catching devices, spray ma- 

 chines, dusting machines, and other entomological appliances, and 

 cabinets illustrating the more important insecticides were sent to 

 France to be used in connection with the educational work being car- 

 ried on by the Young Men's Christian Association among the Ameri- 

 can soldiers. 



Competent and instructive exhibits have been prepared, to be shown 

 at the State fairs this year. 



SOUTHERN FIELD CROP INSECT INVESTIGATIONS. 



The work of this class has been carried on, as before, under the 

 direction of Dr. W. D. Hunter. 



Poisoning the cotton-boll weevil. — In last year's report it Avas 

 shown that one of the most striking achievements of the bureau 

 which culminated during the year was the determination of the great 

 value of powdered lead arsenate or calcium arsenate against the 

 cotton-boll weevil. Large-scale experiments have been continued 

 since that report. The methods and details of procedure of keeping 



