WHOLE VOL. APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY HOWARD 189 



plowing, seeding, harvesting, etc. In mentioning this idea to the 

 writer, Doctor Baker said, "All this may seem rather ahsurd in train- 

 ing for a technical profession, but I am convinced that it is a good 

 thing, because in research work in after years it tends to keep one 

 from flying off at an impracticable tangent. A man who has personally 

 handled all of the various types of work on the farm has a very good 

 idea of what he can or cannot recommend from a technical viewpoint." 



It seems that the University of Saskatchewan goes even further, 

 and requires students in agriculture to spend their summers at work 

 upon a farm. If not, they must spend their summers in lines of work 

 which are approved by the faculty. 



It will perhaps be interesting to add some facts concerning insect 

 damage in Canada. Mr. Gibson published an article in Scientific 

 Agriculture for July, 1927, entitled " What Our Insects Cost Us," 

 which should have been and probably was read with much interest 

 by the farmers and fruit-growers of our northern neighbor. He 

 shows that the value of the field and fruit crops of Canada, accord- 

 ing to the official estimate at the end of the year 1926, amounted to 

 $1,140,772,251. It has been estimated in the United States that in- 

 sects destroy from 10 to 20 per cent of the total value of these crops. 

 Adopting this percentage, Mr. Gibson shows that the minimum 

 annual loss in Canada is therefore $114,000,000; and he shows that 

 to this large sum should be added the losses to forest and shade trees, 

 stored products and many other things of value. In his opinion, dur- 

 ing recent years the loss through insects to Canadian forests has 

 undoubtedly averaged over $50,000,000 each year. 



He makes an interesting comparison between the amount spent on 

 the war and demobilization during the years 19 15 to March, 1926, and 

 insect damage. The war expenditures amounted to $1,694,557,000. 

 During this same period the losses in Canada from destructive insects, 

 adopting a minimum estimate of $125,000,000 a year, would for the 

 II growing seasons amount to $1,375,000,000. It is obvious that his 

 estimate of insect damage was too low, and there can be little doubt 

 that, without in the least realizing it, Canada suffered as much finan- 

 cial loss during that period from insect damage as she did from war 

 expenses which seemed almost crushing in amount. 



As was naturally to be expected, Mr. Gibson shows that the biggest 

 losses have been due to pests introduced accidentally from other coun- 

 tries, but he gives important details as to losses from native insects 

 and also points out savings through intelligent insect control work. 

 For example, he shows that in work against grasshoppers in the prairie 

 provinces from 1919 to 1923, more than $77,000,000 was saved to the 



