310 ANNUAL. REPORT OF THE Off. Doc, 



districts and establishing centralized schools with modern school 

 buildings and a number of teachers. In such schools it would be 

 feasible to employ a teacher of science who would be capable of 

 giving instruction in the elements of agriculture. 



Whatever else is done, the pupils of the rural schools should be 

 familiar with the publications of their own experiment stations and 

 of the United States Department of Agriculture, so that they may 

 be in a position to secure the information they need regarding any 

 agricultural problem they have to solve. 



One of the great drawbacks to progress in the improvement of 

 schools, and the introduction of agricultural teaching in them is 

 the conservatism of the rural people themselves. An effort should 

 be made on the part of the agricultural colleges and other educa- 

 tional institutions, to arouse these people to the necessity of im- 

 proving the educational facilities of their children in order that a 

 general upward trend may be given to country life. 



OUR INSECT FRIENDS. 



By Pkof. H. a. Sdhpace, Economic Zoologist, Harristnirg, Pa. 



(This address was illustrated with fifty lantern slides, and, of 

 course, the great value of the lecture consisted in points shown by 

 the illustrations.) 



Insects have played an important part in the economy of man, 

 not only in giving wearing apparel and employment to thousands 

 of persons, as does the silk industry, and most valuable food as 

 well as employment, as the bee industry; but minor employments 

 of which we have but little knowledge engage many persons. 

 Among these is the gathering of cochineal, which is a scale insect 

 used for coloring cake, cand}^, etc., which must not be poisoned. 



Among the insects that are used as food for man in different 

 parts of the world are beetles and their grubs, esj)ecially by uncivil- 

 ized and semi-civilized men; fly larvae, which we have seen dried and 

 powdered, and eaten extensively by the American Indians, especi- 

 ally in the Yosemite Valley, and grasshoppers^, or locusts, which are 

 gathered and dried for food by the American Indians, especially 

 during a time of scarcity. It was doubtless the grasshopper, in- 

 stead of the Cicada, which was used as food and called the locust, 

 as is mentioned in the Scriptures. 



Insects are also used for ornamental purposes, as some South 

 American tribes make clothing of the bright wing-covers of certain 



