REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 145 



tory roll amounted to $9,500 per annum, and the lump fund to be 

 spent for investigations was $20,000. 



At the present time the service ranks as a bureau and carries more 

 than 500 employees upon its rolls. The amount paid for statutory 

 salaries is $58,750 per annum, and the total annual appropriation is 

 $672,340. 



Sixteen years ago the Avork was entirely carried on in three or 

 four rooms in the city of Washington ; members of the force visited 

 the field from time to time, but there were no field stations. 



At the present time the bulk of the work is done far away from 

 Washington. The bureau has 35 field laboratories scattered all over 

 the United States, and nearly all of them admirably fitted for sound 

 investigation work upon certain particular insects or groups of 

 insects most advantageously to be studied at the individual stations. 



It may reasonably be supposed that the extraordinary growth of 

 the service, just as with other branches of the department, has been 

 facilitated by Congress upon recognition of the practical results 

 achieved by the work which has been done. Some of the good work 

 carried on may be mentioned briefly. 



IMPORTATIONS OF INJURIOUS INSECTS. 



Just 16 years ago the bureau began to study with extreme care the 

 question of the accidental introduction, by means of commerce, of 

 injurious insects from other countries. It was realized that about 

 one-half of the injurious species of first-class importance had been 

 SO introduced, and in consequence not only was begun the study of 

 other species likely to be imported, but a quarantine and inspection 

 bill was drafted and put before Congress from time to time from 

 1897 down to the Congress of the winter of 1911-12. Passage of an 

 act of this character was warmly urged by the department during 

 all those years, and the passage of such a law by the last Congress 

 is a measure which will undoubtedly prove of great benefit to the 

 country. 



SAN JOSE SCALE. 



During the early part of this 16-year period the San Jose scale, 

 which had recently made its appearance in the East and threatened 

 the destruction of eastern orchards, was carefully investigated by the 

 bureau, and its final report on the life history of this destructive scale 

 has remained as a standard. Later the country of origin was dis- 

 covered by an employee of the bureau, Mr. Marlatt, and from that 

 country (China) he sent over a predatory enemy of the scale, which 

 was reared in confinement at Washington and subsequently liberated 

 in orchards in different parts of the country. 



70181°— AGB 1012 10 



