3o8 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 84 



and early 1890's principally concerned the Hessian fly and its para- 

 sites, several species of which he described. 



After reading this all over I find that I have not said enough about 

 the important work of Professor Bogdanov-Katjkov. He is a com- 

 paratively young man, a graduate of the University of Leningrad 

 and as early as 1918 founded a Plant Protection Station for the 

 northern part of European Russia. In 1924 the journal entitled 

 " Plant Protection " was started and is now in its seventh volume. 

 More than 300 men have been educated at the station in entomology 

 and plant pathology at the Institute of Applied Zoology and Plant 

 Pathology at the Agricultural Institute of Leningrad. Professor 

 Bogdanov-Katjkov's main specialty in taxonomy is the family Tene- 

 brionidae, and in applied entomology kitchen garden and truck pests. 

 He has published alx)ut 100 papers. His work on Palearctic insects 

 injurious to kitchen garden crops will shortly be published. It will 

 contain 1500 or more figures. 



LATVIA 



The new Rei)uhlic of Latvia was formed after the World War, out 

 of the former Russian province of Courland with some adjacent 

 territory. I am greatly indebted to Mr. E. Ozols, of Riga, for much 

 of the following. 



Injurious insects attracted attention in the province many years 

 ago, and in 1822 cereal crops were severely attacked by the frit fly. 

 In 19 10 the Central Agricultural Society began to agitate organiza- 

 tion ; and in 1913, in connection with the Department of Agriculture, 

 founded the Baltic Bio-entomological Station at Priekuli which ex- 

 tended its functions over the whole territory now occupied by Latvia 

 and Esthonia. J. Bickis was the head of the Station, and its work 

 included both economic entomology and applied mycology. 



After the great war the work was divided between two entomolo- 

 gists, W. N. Rodzjanko and K. Zolk, the latter at the present time 

 being in charge of the Station of Experimental Entomology of the 

 University of Esthonia. Immediately after the war, E. Ozols, and 

 soon after, ]. Zirnits joined the Station. 



In 1924 the Station was reorganized as an Institute for Plant Pro- 

 tection consisting of three departments, namely Entomology, Mycol- 

 ogy, and Botany. The Station now has a central office, laboratory, and 

 museum at Riga, a permanent field branch at Priekuli superintended 

 by J. Zirnits, and a seasonal laboratory of forest entomology at 

 Cirava. In 1929, E, Ozols was made Director of the Institute, and 



