1908 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 127 



insects become injurious. For example, where corn is the chief crop, a 

 rotation of clover, corn, oats is better than forage grasses, corn, oats, for 

 the reason that many insects which are injurious to hay and grass land are 

 also injurious to corn. 



Where a system of short crop rotations has been in use injurious insects 

 such as the wire worm and white grub are seldom troublesome. The setting 

 apart of a field for a number of years in succession to the same crop, be it 

 pasture, hay, oats, wheat, clover or corn, must of necessity be attended with 

 serious loss from insect injury. 



Good cultivation involves careful treatment of the soil, the crop, and 

 its products. It means careful attention to the waste products and the waste 

 places which are breeding places for many insects injurious to farm crops. 

 It means the adoption of deep late fall plowing under certain conditions, 

 which practice is one of the best methods of dealing with wire worms, white 

 grubs, cut worms and grass-hoppers. It means high fertility of soil, and 

 good drainage of the land, so that vigorous, healthy plants, capable of 

 resisting the drains of insect attacks are grown instead of poorly nourished 

 ones, which are much more liable to succumb. 



The effect of high culture is to make the plants recover quickly from 

 insect attacks. Dr. Forbes says correctly, "The effect of nearly every form 

 of insect injury is virtually a starvation effect. If the roots of a plant are 

 eaten away or otherwise injured, the surface for the absorption of food is 

 thus reduced and the plant suffers from starvation as a consequence. If the 

 elaborated sap is withdrawn from its cells and vessels by the beaks of suck- 

 ing insects, the effect is essentially the same — the plant is starved. If the 

 substance of the leaf is injured or destroyed the process of assimilation is 

 interfered with, and less assimilated food becomes available for maintenance 

 and growth, — again a starvation effect." 



The effect of timely plowing and planting in the control of insects is 

 not well enough known by our farmers. Much valuable information on these 

 points is now available. Two or three late fall plowings are efficacious 

 against wire worms and white grubs ; early plowing of grass land in August 

 will prevent severe cutworm attacks the following year; late sowing of fall 

 wheat will prevent Hessian Fly injury; and early cutting of the first crop 

 of clover will destroy the first brood of the clover-seed midge, and thus save 

 'the clover-seed of the later crop. 



5. Every Farmer and Fruit Grower should know the value of Co-opera- 

 tive measures in dealing with injurious pests. 



The importance of co-operation has been brought vividly to our atten- 

 tion in several cases; viz., the Hessian Fly outbreak a few years ago, the 

 Pea-weevil scourge, the Codling Moth and the San Jose Scale ravages; 

 and the apple maggot injuries in some sections. As a matter of fact, 

 many of our economic problems in Entomology will remain unsolved until a 

 widespread public co-operative sentiment arises in our midst, "Many diffi- 

 culties which would yield at once to community action are beyond the power of 

 individual remedy." 



I have stated briefly five of the main points which I believe every 

 Farmer and Fruit Grower should know. While we realize that but few per- 

 sons possess this knowledge, are we doing much to hasten the day when all 

 shall have this knowledge? I believe this Society has done much good 

 through its individual members and through the Reports which are published 

 every year. I believe, however, that the most effective work must be done 



