February, '21] MC clung: national research council 33 



form of organization which can be made effective in a great many ways, 

 and that is to be determined by those who wish to be served and not by 

 any one else. 



You can readily see that with a group of men in Washington represent- 

 ing the different sciences — men permanently on the job — you mav hope 

 more effectively and readily to accomplish your purposes than if you 

 have to work through the looser organizations which have heretofore 

 existed. You have in effect, in appointing your committee on coopera- 

 tion in the Council, a permanent court representing 3'ou to which we 

 can appeal for advice on the subject of entomology. The Division of 

 Biology and Agriculture is unique in this respect : that we have asked 

 all of the societies represented in this Division to name these Committees. 



Dr. Parrott has told you that the Council is in a state of development 

 and its entire organization is such that it may be changed at any time to 

 meet the needs of the scientists of the country. Its subsidiary organiza- 

 tions are of the same nature, and the Crop Protection Institute is of like 

 character. The Council has no other interest in this particular Insti- 

 tute than to serve as a means of bringing together groups which we are 

 told had heretofore not been able to get together. That represents in 

 general one of the large functions of the Council. 



When the matter of bringing this proposed Institute to the attention 

 of various scientific societies was discussed, I suggested that the Phyto- 

 pathologists be considered, and it was found that it would be desirable 

 for them to work in cooperation with the entomologists. I have been 

 told that the phytopathologists have already, as a society, endorsed this 

 project, so that if your Association decides to do so the matter will be 

 well started. 



Already we have had statements from the Forestry Committee that 

 they are interested in this matter, and it may be that it would be desir- 

 able to include representation from the foresters, and to extend it possibly 

 to others. 



This represents perhaps, the only immediate way in which the Council 

 has been of service to the entomologists so far, but I should like very 

 briefly to point out to j^ou that there are other connections which you 

 may set up. One of those has already been referred to by one of your 

 speakers in reference to the protection of natural areas. The Ecological 

 Society has a Committee which has done a large amount of work in the 

 effort to preser\^e for scientific study areas which are in a natural condi- 

 tion now but which are very soon to disappear entirely. 



You will at once realize that conflict of interest may be set up in 

 anything of this sort. Some of those were briefly referred to. Some 

 organizations might want to presence areas that harbored very destruc- 



