February, '12] WASHBURN: PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS 35 



in his own mind, of which maledictions we are profoundly unconscious. 

 We work largely, be it said, under the ban of the "silence of the 

 critical." It is a far cry from economic entomology to poetry, yet I 

 am led to enlarge upon this by quoting a few lines from a poem by 

 O. W. Firkins of the University of Minnesota, not yet published. 

 This silence is like 



"The silent rise, the silent set of suns; 

 The silence wherein blooms and fades the rose; 

 The silence of illimitable snows; 

 The soundless sap, the blood that noiseless runs; 

 The silence of poised storm and brooding guns," etc. 



I have beheved in the past most thoroughly in the entomologist^ 

 and all scientists in fact, or men of anj^ profession, having hobbies 

 quite distinct from their work. I have believed, and still believe, 

 that any man in a profession who has a lively interest in some recreative 

 work or play brings so much more to his specialty, yet I see danger, 

 as we advance toward middle life and beyond, and our ambition in our 

 profession becomes possibly a little less keen, that one may give too 

 much attention to a hobby, and too little to his specialty, in other 

 words, the hobby and the specialty may change places. This is, 

 most certainly, to be guarded against. 



2. Relations of the Economic Entomologist to the Farmer: 



We can perhaps all unite in saying: "God bless the insect!" It 

 creates the entomologist, and makes for diversified farming; it turns 

 wheat growers, corn growers, cotton growers and others into genuine 

 farmers, and our relation to the latter is perhaps the most important 

 of all, since it was to promote the cause of agriculture that our office 

 was created. 



It is a pleasure to note that while some years ago any professor 

 was looked upon as unpractical, a bookworm, and a dreamer, the 

 professor of today is a specialist, he is appealed to frequently by the 

 pubhc, and despite the criticism previously alluded to in this address, 

 this fact, in connection with our work, is encouraging, and it is a 

 pleasure to realize that it is appreciated. 



The inducing farmers to accept results, however, and teaching them 

 how to apply an effective remedy for certain destructive pests is a 

 difficult and very important part of our work, more difficult, perhaps, 

 than finding the remedy itself. It represents almost one half of the 

 problem; this need of constant reiteration of methods which you may 

 have published and spread broadcast in the past, feeling secure in the 

 belief that every one knew and practiced them. We frequently awake 

 to the realization that a large portion of our farmers are ignorant of 



