1919 ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 47 



PRESENT DAY PEOBLEMS IN ENTOMOLOGY. 

 J. J, Davis, West Lafayette, III. 



Cereals have always been our most necessary economic crop but the existing 

 war conditions have greatly emphasized their importance and as you are all aware, 

 insect pests are one of the chief causes of crop losses. Within the past year the 

 United States Department of Agriculture has been able to increase crop acreages, 

 especially that of wheat, by efficient publicity methods made possible through 

 the co-operation of the State agricultural authorities and the County agricultural 

 agents. This programme resulting in increased cereal acreages has brought about 

 numerous changes in agricultural practices, such as rotations, an overbalancing 

 due to the increased production of certain crops, and the introduction into certain 

 localities of crops heretofore seldom if ever grown. These changes suggest new 

 entomological possibilities which will become, realities and more evident in later 

 years. 



At this time I wish to discuss briefly some of these conditions and to follow 

 with a treatment of certain important cereal and forage crop insect enemies which 

 are problems of the moment in the States of Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, 

 Indiana and Ohio, and which closely approximate conditions occurring in many 

 parts of Canada, more especially in Southern Ontario. 



As has been stated the effort for increased production of wheat, has resulted 

 in the disregarding of certain rotations and an increase in the wheat acreage 

 amounting, in Indiana, to 35 per cent, above normal or 50 per cent, above the 1916 

 crop, which may be considered a typical increase for the area under discussion. 

 Without certain precautions this condition is almost sure to present advantages 

 for the wheat insects, giving them unlimited breeding grounds under most favor- 

 able conditions. In some localities where the growing of spring wheat was dis- 

 continued a score of years ago on account of the continued ravages of insect 

 enemies, the growing of spring wheat has again become common. It is not 

 unlikely that if we must continue the growing of spring wheat in these areas 

 we will again be confronted with the insect problems which brought about the 

 change in cropping some 20 years ago. In fact, the Hessian fly has already 

 made its appearance in threatening abundance in one locality where wheat was 

 a crop of no consequence until the last year or so. 



The problem of the cereal insect investigator differs greatly from problems 

 confronting the entomologist dealing with orchard or garden pests, for the culture 

 of cereals is less intensive and the expense of such practices as spraying is almost 

 out of the question. We must rely almost entirely on general cultural methods 

 although there are exceptions, notably the control of cutworms and grasshoppers 

 by the use of poison baits. The present high prices for foodstuffs increase the 

 possibility of us.ing more intensive methods for controlling pests of general farm 

 crops although here again we are limited because of the shortage of man power. 



How we can most effectively assist the farmer to combat the many insect 

 pests is itself a problem of huge proportions. In years past we have issued 

 bulletins which were sent to persons interested or who requested specific informa- 

 tion. Experience has taught us that the promiscuous mailing of such bulletins 

 is a waste. At the present time a majority of the counties in the States have 

 what is known as a county agricultural agent, a man who has made a success of 

 farming or who has completed a course in an agricultural college or preferably 



