196 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



New York was the first State to employ an entomologist with 

 a definite salary, and it is said that Dr. Fitch's reports saved 

 $50,000 annually to the farmers of New York. B. D. Walsh 

 was made State entomologist of Illinois in i860 and in 1868 

 Dr. C. v. Riley was appointed to a cofresponding position 

 in Missouri. Now nearly every State in the Union, either by 

 a special act of the legislature or through its experiment sta- 

 tion, employs an entomologist who is prepared to investigate 

 insect outbreaks and advise treatment. We cannot give too 

 much credit to these pioneer workers in the field of economic 

 entomology. Much of the work which they did was so well 

 done that their reports form an important part of the litera- 

 ture of the subject today. But conditions are ever changing, 

 and insects that were not injurious yesterday may become so 

 tomorrow. 



Sometimes introduced species may be combated most suc- 

 cessfully by importing their natural enemies to keep them in 

 check. One of the most striking examples of this is found in 

 the case of the cottony cushion scale insect (Iccrya purchasi), 

 which was introduced into California in 1869. It attacked 

 orchard trees and garden plants, but was especially injurious 

 to orange trees. For a long time no one knew where the 

 pest came from, but careful investigation showed that it had 

 been brought to California from Australia on the Acacia. In 

 1886 the pest had spread to eight different counties of the 

 State. Dr. C. V. Riley, who was then entomologist of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture, realized the benefit 

 that might result from studying the insect in its native habitat 

 and introducing into America such parasites as might be 

 found effective in holding the scale in check. He urged that 

 Congress either make a special appropriation or make avail- 

 able a portion of the regular appropriation to the Division of 

 Entomology for the purpose. But Congress failed to act 

 upon the matter. The Melbourne exposition in 1888 afforded 

 the desired opportunity, and on the suggestion of Dr. Riley, 

 supported by many other advocates of the enterprise, Secre- 

 tary Blaine appointed a trained entomologist to go to the 

 exposition as an agent of the State Department, with the 

 understanding that he might employ his spare time in study- 

 ing the cottony cushion scale and its parasites. Mr. A. 

 Koebele was appointed, and during the season several con- 



