February, '14] PARROTT: APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY 51 



as there are several subdivisions under this head that might be indi- 

 vidually treated at length and deserve detailed consideration. 



Ultilitarian Development of Entomology 



Subjects, it is said, arise according to the atmosphere of civilization, 

 and take color, value and strength in proportion to their connections 

 with the real life of the people. This is, in brief, the history of all de- 

 partments of science, and such has been the experience of economic 

 entomology. Once the study of the lover of the open fields — the stu- 

 dent of nature — this branch of science has taken on larger value and 

 importance, and has now become a profession, which is calling to its 

 service men of serious intellectual power who are engaged in real con- 

 structive work for the welfare and prosperity of mankind. In the 

 acquirement of knowledge in the domain of injurious insects and in the 

 quest for large economic results, entom.ology in the United States has 

 made rapid and substantial progress. The opportunity here for 

 economic studies has been great, for agriculture has always been the 

 leading occupation of our people and a great source of national wealth; 

 while insects, on the other hand, have constituted one of the chief han- 

 dicaps to agricultural prosperity, and are of increasing significance. 



A study of agricultural literature, even in the days when science did 

 little directly for agriculture, shows that there were few subjects which 

 more widely received attention from our farmers than that dealing 

 with insects. Historically, there has been a direct and important con- 

 nection between the appreciation of the practical value and the neces- 

 sity of entomological knowledge on the part of the American farmer 

 and the progress of entomology in this country. Inability of individ- 

 uals to cope successfully with destructive species led to applications to 

 legislatures for assistance. Under state aid a new form of public 

 activity was brought to the service of agriculture, while under the 

 stimulus of liberal financial assistance from both the federal and state 

 governments there has been a remarkable elaboration of new thoughts, 

 lines of effort, and organizations of workers that have counted con- 

 structively for the demonstration of the practical value and importance 

 of entomology. It is pertinent to my subject to note at this time some 

 aspects of the rise and growth of entomology under public support and 

 some developments that have taken place in the organization of efforts 

 in the behalf of agriculture. 



History' of State Aid in Applied Entomology 



Legislative aid to entomology was the inspiration of Massachusetts, 

 which was the first state^ to extend financial assistance for an entomo- 



»L. O. Howard, U. S. Dept. of Agr. Yearbook, 1899, p. 136. 



