336 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



RECENT WORK AMONG OUR INSECT ENEMIES. 

 BY PROF. M. V. SLINGERLAND OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY. 



Tlie science of growing fruits, flowers, and vegetables, or horticulture, 

 and the study of habits of insects for the purpose of discovering when 

 and how to best destroy them, or economic entomology, these two sciences 

 are each year coming to be more and more mutually helpful to each 

 other. The progressive and successful horticulturist now realizes that 

 he should know something about the common insects which habitually 

 infest the crop he is trying to grow; and, furthermore, that he should 

 also keep in close touch with those who make a business of studying 

 these little foes, so that he may, by correspondence or otherwise, quickly 

 avail himself of and understandingly use whatever information may be 

 given when an unfamiliar or new insect pest threatens his crop. On the 

 other hand, the economic entomologist can usually draw safer and^more 

 practicable conclusions in regard to methods of fighting insect pests if 

 he can call in the aid of the experienced and successful horticulturist. 

 A horticulturist who ''sees what he looks at" can often furnish valuable 

 information as to the behavior of insects in their native haunts. Insects 

 will not always deport themselves the same in an entomologist's cage 

 as they do in the horticulturist's field; thus, cage experiments should 

 always be verified and supplemented by field observations. 



I wish horticulturists realized how valuable a few careful observa- 

 tions, which they oftentimes might easily make, are to the entomologist 

 when he is asked to diagnose' an attack by an unfamiliar insect. Always 

 send plenty of specimens and accompany them by copious notes of what 

 you have seen the creatures do on their native heath. Do not be afraid 

 to bother your state or experiment station entomologist (or that of 

 any other state, for that matter) with questions about your insect pests. 

 These men are paid to serve you to the best of their ability as often as 

 you feel you need their knowledge, and most of them are glad of the 

 opportunity to lend you a helping hand. But do not expect the entomol- 

 ogist to know all about any insect you may send him. Although much 

 has been written about injurious insects and how to combat them, there 

 is still a great deal to be learned about even our most common and 

 apparently best known insect foes. 



In short, then, horticulture and economic entomology should go hand 

 in hand, the trained student of insect life furnishing the necessary scien- 

 tific knowledge of the enemy's habits, and the expert horticulturist sup- 

 plementing this with, and rendering it practicable by, suggestions drawn 

 from his knowledge of the natural conditions surrounding the insect. 



Since 1841, when Dr. Harris gave us our first economic entomology 

 in his well-known ''Treatise on the Insects of Massachusetts," the science 

 has made rapid strides. The earlier Avritings were signed by such famil- 

 iar names as Harris, Fitch, and Walsh, and veritable mines of informa- 

 tion are their reports. However, the addition of Paris green and kero- 



