206 DEPAKTMENTAL KEPORTS. 



FOREST AND FOKEST PRODUCT INSECT INVESTIGATIONS. 



These investigations have already been established as a separate 

 section, working in cooperation with tlie Bureau of Forestry. In the 

 new organization it is hoped to add to its efficiency by arranging for 

 an additional field assistaiit and for an office assistant. The Avork 

 outlined for 1903 will be continued, and special new work for thej'ear 

 will be taken up in the study of the oak and spruce insects with the 

 view of publishing a report toward the close of the year. Any excep- 

 tional insect outbreak in forest areas will be subject to prompt inves- 

 tigation. 



INSECTICIDE AND INSECTICIDE MACHINERY INVESTIGATIONS. 



It is proposed that this section shall cover the entire field of prac- 

 tical exj)erimentation with insecticides and insecticide machinery. 

 The detail of a chemist from the Bureau of Chemistry, to take charge 

 of the analyses and tests, is planned, and it is proposed to provide 

 an expert to work in cooperation with the Chemist to carry out the 

 field operations and experiments on growing trees and vegetables. 

 The enormous increase in the employment of insecticides in the last 

 few years calls for veiy much more extensive investigation on the 

 part of this Department than it has hitherto been possible to give to 

 the subject. The verj^ great use of petroleum oils especiall}^ demands 

 a constant supervision of the oil products used for insecticides, some 

 of which are very injurious to plants and others harmless. The 

 demand for a thorough investigation of this field by the Department 

 of Agriculture is voiced by the resolutions recently passed at the 

 summer meetings of the Society for the Promotion of Agricultural 

 Science and of the Association of Economic Entomologists. The pro- 

 posed change will bring all the insecticide investigations of the 

 Department under one office, and facilitate and give a much more 

 practical bearing to the work than has been heretofore possible. 



INVESTIGATIONS OF INSECTS AFFECTING STORED PRODUCTS. 



A good deal of work has already been done nnder this head, but it 

 is proposed, bj" making this a special section, to very much extend the 

 work and give it a more practical bearing, undertaking experiments to 

 determine in a practical way, in granaries and large warehouses, 

 mills, and other establishments, the value of the means of protecting 

 stored products. It is proposed in this section to include the study of 

 the insect enemies of preserved animal and vegetable food substances, 

 as well as the cereal products, and also materials and fabrics of all 

 sorts. 



INVESTIGATIONS OF INSECTS IN RELATION TO DISEASES OF MAN AND ANIMALS, AND 



AS ANIMAL PARASITES. 



It is wished to verj' much extend the considerable work already 

 done in this field. For this purpose, it is j^roposed to establish for it 

 a special section. It will include, in the case of the domestic animals, 

 all of the internal parasitic flies, and the external imrasitic insects, 

 and the biting flies, such as the horn fly, gadflies, buffalo gnats, etc. ; 

 in the case of man and animals, the important role of insects as con- 

 veyers and disseminators of disease. A very capable assistant will 

 be required to take direct charge of this work. 



