96 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Oflf. Doc. 



REPORT or THE ECONOMrC ZOOLOGIST 



Harrisburg, Pa., Januanj 1, 1911. 



Hon. N. B. Critchfield, Secretary of Agriculture 



Dear Sir:— I lake pleasure in submitting the following as tlie lie- 

 port of the Economic Zoologist for the year 1910, being my Eighth 

 Annual lieport: 



As previously announced, the work of this office was originally 

 undertaken under the following heads: 



1. Examining Specimens and Answering Questions Sent. 



2. Personal Work: Investigations and Experimentation. 



3. Publications. 



4. Lectures. 



5. Inspection of Nurseries and Private Premises. 



6. Inspection of Imported Plants, Seeds and Fruits. 



7. Making Collections. 



As the work grew, we found it was necessary to another division, 

 which is here designated as "No. 8. Demonstrations." In fact, ir 

 now ajipears that the demonstration work is at present the most 

 important of all. 



It api)ears that the work of this office during the past year has been 

 remarkably successful, as indicated by the great number of letters 

 and newspaper articles expressing appreciation of the aid received 

 through it. A special effort continuously has been to make the work 

 thoroughly practical and to meet the needs of the agricultural people, 

 and at the same time to maintain as high scientific standard as is 

 possible. 



The greatest difficulty with many scientists has been that their work 

 has been of a nature too technical to be useful to the average farmer. 

 It is possible that in the continuous effort to avoid this we may be 

 charged with having extended toward the opposite extreme, but it is 

 certain that in practical results the office has achieved enough to be 

 gratifying to all persons concerned. 



The duties of the office have increased to a remarkable extent. 

 owing to the evident increase in the destructiveness by insect pests 

 and plant diseases, especially to the awakening interest being taken 

 in these and other subjects in natural history, practical agriculture, 

 and horticulture in Pennsylvania. 



The fact that the public is well informed along the lines pertaining 

 to tlie duties of this Bureau of the De])arfment of Agriculture, 

 through our periodical bulletins and the Weekly Press Letter, re- 

 lieves us to a great extent from the necessity of a detailed report here- 

 in to be given, but it is desirable to record the progress made under 

 the different headings above mentioned. 



