The Bulletin. 119 



are still others against which wo are wcll-nitih helpless, like the Ear-worm 

 ill com. There is uo "mat;ical reiue<ly"' for insects. All the remedies re<iulre 

 some expenditure of time or money or labor (or all three) in order to be 

 successful. 



In many cases we know of no economical way to combat the insect when it 

 once attacks the crop, but are to some extent able to prevent the attack in the 

 first place. An example of this is the conunon "Bud worm" in corn, which we 

 may dodge by planting the corn either very early or quite late, but which we 

 have no remedy for when it once begins its attack in the cornfield. There are 

 some pests that could be prevented if we knew it would be worth while, but 

 usually it is not. An example of this is the Boll-worm of cotton, which could 

 be prevented by dusting the plants with poison early in August; but usually it 

 is not destructive enough to justify this, so we do not do it, with the conse- 

 quence that it sometimes does serious injury, which, once the injury begins, is 

 not easily checked. 



In order to select a remedy which shall be properly effective, we need to 

 know the entire life and habits of an insect. By such studies we find out the 

 weak points in the insect and direct our remedies accordingly. If it greedily 

 devours the leaves of our crop we may usually poison it; if it sucks the sap 

 we must use some solution of soap, oil, or other substance which kills by 

 contact. If it hides in some especial place in winter we may kill it at that 

 season. If it begins its attack on the plant only at a certain point we may pro- 

 tect that particular part and thus save the plant. If the insect crawls instead 

 of flies, we may check it by artificial barriers. An excellent example of this is 

 the summer brood of Chinch Bug, which has wings and spreads from small 

 grain stubble into the corn; yet they almost always crmvl (even though they 

 have wings), and may often be checked merely by a deep furrow. All these 

 considerations show that we must continually study our insect pests; we should 

 know their origin, native country and native food, where they spend the winter, 

 how widely distributed through the country, how actively they move about, how 

 they take their food and from what part of the plant, how long the insect 

 lives in each different stage of its existence, how many eggs are laid and where, 

 and in what stage of existence is the winter passed, etc., etc. There are "a 

 thousand and one" little facts which we need to know about an insect pest 

 before we can be assured that the remedy which we recommend is the best. 



Many of our worst pests have been imported from other countries. Not only 

 is this true of insects, but the Englisli Sparrow and the House Mouse are ex- 

 cellent examples among the higher animals. Under the conditions of modern 

 commerce the spread of insect pests is very liable to occur. As a result such 

 insects as House Flies, Grain Weevils, and Cockroaches have been spread all 

 over the earth by ships, trains, etc. In the same way, the shipment of living 

 plants or cuttings from such plants may carry insect pests with them. Ex- 

 amples of this kind are numerous, the San Jose Scale, Codling Moth, and 

 Hessian Fly being among the most notable. Even at this time the New Eng- 

 land States and the Fnited States Government are spending millions of dollars 

 to control the Gipsy and Brown-tail Moths, both of which were imported from 

 Europe, and the entomologists of all the other States are now constantly on 

 guard against the introduction of these two important pests, and positive 

 records show ahsolutehi that their efforts have prevented these from gaining 

 headway in many new localities. 



A satisfactory remedy cannot always be found instantly. We have had 

 doctors since the dawn of history, yet there are diseases for which we have 

 only very imperfect remedies or preventives. What wonder that there should 

 be insects for which we have no good remedy when the "insect doctors" are 

 so few, their science so new. and so nmch of the field unexplored? Long and 

 patient investigation into the minutest details of an insect's life sometimes 

 yields only imperfect remedies, yet by gaining such a thorough understanding 

 of the insect we are able to adapt even imperfect remedies so as to get a 

 reasonable return. A fine example of this is found in the Cotton Boll-weevil, 

 which is now spreading over the cotton area from the southward. Probably 

 no insect pest has ever been more thoroughly and completely studied in every 

 detail of its life, habits, preferences, etc., but we have no entirely satisfactory 



