1907 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. II 



honoured guest of tlie present meeting, Mr. A. H. Kirkland, who will ex- 

 plain to us the remarkable work which is being carried on under his superin- 

 tendence against the Gypsy and Browntail moths in the State of Massachu- 

 setts. 



It has long been a matter of surprise, even more than that, of amaze- 

 ment, to those who undeTstand the enormous losses caused by insects to every 

 class of vegetable products, that the study which deals with these powerful 

 enemies and from which all remedies must emanate, should be so lightly 

 esteemed by the general public. That this — may we call it, age of darkness 

 and ignorancfe? — ^is now passing away, is evidenced by the important inter- 

 national investigations which are being carried on by Governments in all 

 parts of the world at apparently enormous expenditure. I say "apparently," 

 because the good results obtained so far outweigh in magnitude all the cost 

 of securing them, that this latter must be considered trifling by comparison. 

 One needs but to think of the immense saving which has been effected in 

 checking or controlling some of the better known extensive invasions of in- 

 sects. The prompt application of practical remedies could only be made 

 where scientific investigations both of the life-histories and of the most appro- 

 priate remedies had already cleared the way and had pointed out what must 

 be the road to success. 



The large expenditures authorized by Governments from time to time 

 for the purpose of investigating the habits of, and fighting against, injuri- 

 ous insects, have to some measure opened the eyes of the world to the im- 

 portant role played by insects as affecting the general welfare, and the 

 necessity of dealing with them promptly and vigorously. Grasshopper in- 

 vasions have in the past caused widespread devastation of fertile lands; but, 

 with a knowledge of the egg-laying habits and with modified agricultural 

 treatment of the land based on this knowledge, such losses can be to a large 

 measure controlled. The San Jose Scale, although confined to only one 

 comparatively small area in Ontario, and to two isolated points in British 

 Columbia, has been the cause of considerable loss in the orchards of the 

 Niagara Peninsula and also of much anxiety to Governments and fruit 

 growers of the whole Dominion. From the vast amount of experimental 

 work of many students here and in the United States, a practical remedy 

 has been discovered in the lime-sulphur wash. The San Jose Scale has 

 called for the voting of large sums of money in Canada and in almost every 

 State of the Union; and, although, as stated, a practical remedy has now been 

 found, it is probable that for all time fruit growers, in those districts where 

 that insect thrives, will every year have to take steps to control it. This, 

 however, it must be remembered, is not because the remedy is not all-suf- 

 ficient, but, because, even against this well understood and justly dreaded 

 enemy, so many fruit growers do not take the necessary steps or even ordi- 

 nary precautions to control it. Pei-haps the best known and most convincing 

 instance of a large expenditure of this nature, is that for the campaign which 

 has been waged against the Gypsy and Browntail moths in the State of 

 Massachusetts. Up to the year 1900 a great deal of money had been spent 

 against the former of these, and it had been almost vanquished, when, for 

 political reasons, the appropriations were most unfortunately stopped. This 

 was, it can now be seen, a most deplorable mistake; for during the following 

 five years nothing was done, and the whole of the area previously infested 

 was again overrun and fresh territory was invaded. The necessary appro- 

 priations up to the present time have now reached the sum of about two 

 million dollars, and the Federal Government has had to step in and help. 

 Although wonders have been achieved by Mr. Kirkland and his associates. 



