ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF ONTARIO. 17 



and to notice how the study of injurious insects is fostered by the most practical people 

 on the globe to-day, the Americans, who iadeed wt^re the ttrst to orginiz^ a systematic 

 study of practical entomology and fungology. These two branches of knowledge are 

 certainly worthy of much study, for they are the two chief causes of a reduced output, in 

 other words, loss of revenue, in every country of the world. 



The losses in the agricultural produce of a country every year due to the ravages of 

 insects are said to be ten per cent, of the whole amount, and there is a further loss of 

 ten per cent, caused by fungi parasitic on plants grown by man as food for himself or his 

 stock. Familiar examples of such parasitic tungi are the black spot of the apple, smut 

 of wheat, oats, barley, etc., grape mildew and [lotato rot. All of these are diseases which 

 in the past have been the direct cause of the loss of large sums of money, but which 

 now, owing to the studies of specialists, can all be to a large measure controlled by prac- 

 tical methods, cheap, simple and effective, which can be used by every farmer in the 

 country possessed of ordinary intelligence. The same thing is the case with injurious 

 insects. Of those kinds which every year attack our crops and reduce our revenues, by 

 far the larger proportion have been studied out so fully, by men such as those who form 

 the membership of the Entomological Society of Ontario, that at the present time prac- 

 tical remedies are available for all who will take the trouble to ask for chem or who have 

 kept themselves posted in the matters which concern vitally the success of their business. 

 But these facts are not appreciated generally by the people most concerned, the agri- 

 cultural classes. It is an old but true siying: — " We only miss the wtter when the 

 well runs dry." As a rule, farmers only think of remedies when they find their crops 

 seriously attacked, and they then find that in many cases it is too late to prevent loss. 

 Many of the most successful means of protecting crops are methods of prevention and 

 must be put in practice long before the crop to be protected has reached maturity. The 

 farmers of Canada are much to be envied ; for thoy have advantages not surpassed in 

 any part of the world. Yes, sir ; not only have we here the glorious climate and mag- 

 nificent soil necessary for the production of the best agricultural products ; but we have 

 as well wise Governments who are doing everything possible to help us in making our 

 operations successful. We have our most active and useful Department of Agriculture, 

 at Toronto, which publishes every year in its annual report, the latest developments with 

 regaid to all subjects brought before the various soi^ieties subsidized by the Government ; 

 these deal with many different agricultural matters, such as our own Entomological 

 Society of Ontario, the Fruit Growers' Association, the Bee-Keepers' Association, the 

 Sheep and Swine-Breeders' Association, Farmers' Institutes and many others. All of 

 these associations receive grants, and the Government publishes their reports for the 

 good of the farmers of the country. Besides this, we have the Agricultural College at 

 Guelph, a grand institution doing excellent work ; and, above all, we have the Dominion 

 Experimental Farm system maintained by the Federal Government, which is constantly 

 at work trying to assist the farmers of Canada by testing and examining all subjects 

 which it is thought may better their position and prospects. The publications of all 

 these institutions are issued free of charge and distributed with a liberal hand. In 

 fact I believe, as I have already said, there is no country in the world where more 

 is being done in a wise way to help farmers than is the case to day in Canada. 

 (Applause.) 



Is it not folly then on the part of any man in this country not to apprise himself of 

 these facts and put them in practice 1 To bring the matter back again abruptly to the work 

 of the Society under whose auspices we are gathered here tonight, is it not folly on the 

 part of any farmer in Canada not to find out what are the latest developments — or, 

 as Prof. James has put it, "what is the new agriculture," — with regard to the best 

 methods of protecting himself from loss and of saving hin crops from the attacks of the 

 hordes of injurious insects which are ready to levy so heavy a tax upon all that he grows 1 



2 E. 



