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SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL.84 



and the writer — all from the United States. The Canadians present 

 were Dr. C. J. S. Bethune, Dr. James Fletcher, Mr. E. Baynes Reed, 

 and Mr. H. H. Lyman. All of these became charter members except 

 the Canadian Mr. Lyman and the American Professor Thompson. 

 Other charter members, however, were included as follows : Dr. 

 William Saunders of Canada, Prof. S. A. Forbes of Illinois, Dr. J. A. 

 Lintner of Albany. New York, Prof. J. H. Comstock of Cornell Uni- 

 versity, Prof. F. L. Harvey of Maine, Prof. M. L. Beckwith of Dela- 

 ware, Prof. F. M. Webster then of Purdue University, Prof. P. J. 

 Campbell of Georgia, Prof. E. J. Wickson of California, Prof. C. W. 

 Woodworth of Arkansas, Prof. Otto Lugger of Minnesota, Prof. 

 C. P. Gillette of Colorado, and Prof. Herbert Osborn then of Iowa. 

 All of these men were distinctly entomologists with the exception of 

 Professor Wickson who was at that time Lecturer on Dairy Hus- 

 bandry and Agriculture at the University of California and who 

 afterwards became Associate Professor of Agriculture, Horticul- 

 ture, and Entomology, still later becoming Dean of the Agricultural 

 College and Acting Director of the California Agricultural Experi- 

 ment Station ; and I think that at one time he was the editor of the 

 famous agricultural newspaper known as The Pacific Rural Press. 



Beginning in a small way, the Association grew steadily. The 

 growth of the Federal Service and the greater opportunities for re- 

 search given by the States and the Agricultural Colleges increased the 

 number of men turning their attention to this branch of work (rather 

 rapidly when we look back and review the progress). 



It is unnecessary to detail the steps that have brought about the 

 present large, efficient, helpful and very important organization as it 

 exists today. It was until 1913 the only organization of its kind in the 

 world, but in that year Dr. K. Escherich, after a visit to the United 

 States, organized the Gentian Vcrein fiir Angewandtc Entomologic 

 which we shall describe later, in the section on Germany. 



Looking back at the early meetings of the Association, it is plain 

 that while there was much interest and enthusiasm among the mem- 

 bers, little of the prophetic was shown in the addresses given at the 

 annual meetings. The enormous scope of the problems confronting 

 humanity and their extremely serious character do not seem to have 

 been realized in those. days. We met (and there were lamentably few 

 of us then) to talk about comparatively few individual things that 

 were, or bid fair to be, of general interest. When there were 20 of 

 us together, we felt populous ; and we met but once a year. There 

 were many dull papers on " The Insects of the Year " or some simi- 

 lar title. But our interest was vivid, and it increased as time went 



