August, '09] JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 273 



showing the different stages in a circle as has been done by Prof. 

 Slingerland in the case of the Grape Leaf Hopper, by the writer 

 with the Gipsy moth and by numerous others. The descriptions of 

 the various stages should bring out pointedly the characteristics by 

 which they may be recognized and should stop there. The farmer 

 cares nothing for the technical detail and the descriptions will be of 

 much more value to him if they merely enforce one or two points 

 whereby that stage of the insect may be distinguished. The habits 

 of the various stages of the insect should be described at the proper 

 points in its life history and special emphasis should be laid upon 

 those habits which have to do with the means of control, making them 

 perfectly clear in the discussion of the life history and then referring 

 back to them when considering the control. The detailed results of 

 exhaustive studies of the time consumed in various stages etc., is not 

 a matter of interest to most farmers. They wish to know the approxi- 

 mate length of the various stages as related to the means of control, 

 and the average length of any one stage and the usual habits, except 

 where variation due to season, climate, etc. is a matter which must 

 be taken under consideration in control work. Such reports of ex- 

 haustive studies of the various stages of an insect ma}^ better be in- 

 cluded in an annual report or in a technical article. 



Very often a considerable portion of a bulletin is given up to a 

 consideration of parasites and predaceous enemies. This has always 

 seemed to the speaker to be a matter of doubtful importance to the 

 average reader. It is undoubtedly desirable to point out that lady- 

 bird beetles are not giving birth to plant lice upon the apple and 

 that the fruit grower should protect them, and wherever parasites 

 may be in any way artifically encouraged that should be mentioned 

 and their exact importance fully outlined. But is it of any conse- 

 quence whatever to enumerate the different species of parasitic in- 

 sects which affect the insect and describe them with the detail usually 

 given? Or is there any reason for publishing a description of a new 

 species of parasite in a Station bulletin? We are coming to appre- 

 ciate that in many cases parasites may be artificially encouraged and 

 wherever that can be done it should be given due prominence, but at- 

 tention constantly called to parasites in many cases leads the farmer 

 to have an exaggerated opinion of their practical importance. 



Scientific names may well be used with caution and it is a question 

 whether it would not be better to use common names wherever pos- 

 sible and relegate the Lati)i name to a foot note where it will be 

 available for the entomologist. 



The Means of Control are of course the part of the publication 



