24 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 4 



and avoid unnecessary duplication of work; (3) to suggest, when 

 possible, certain lines of investigation upon subjects of general 

 interest; (4) to promote the study and advance the science of 

 economic entomology." It behooves us, therefore, to occasionally 

 consider whether this organization is developing along the lines laid 

 down in the constitution by its founders, and more recently rati- 

 fied by us, and how it may be further strengthened and developed. 

 The first two or three of these objects seem to have been most 

 prominent in the minds of its founders and have been the directing 

 force in its development. In recent years, however, there has been a 

 marked tendency to make the association more of a working organiza- 

 tion and to devote attention to the development of the science of 

 economic entomology and its application to public welfare, under 

 the fourth object above, which may be likened to the "general 

 welfare" clause of our federal constitution. With the rapid increase 

 in membership, this tendency must be inevitable, and I shall en- 

 deavor to discuss the work of the association under the above heads 

 and to venture some suggestions for its further development. 



THE DISCUSSION OF NEW DISCOVERIES 



A. The discussion of new discoveries. — In 1889 with 22 charter mem- 

 bers it was possible for the association to discuss the discoveries of 

 each member who wished to present them, and this was practically so 

 up to 1900 when we had 109 members; but with the 264 members now 

 enrolled, and with every prospect of a steady growth, it is evident 

 that there must be some selection of what "new discoveries" are 

 most worthy of our joint consideration. That some systematic pres- 

 entation of the advances made in the previous year would be a most 

 useful feature of our meetings can hardly be gainsaid, for with the 

 wide range of investigation now being carried on by a host of w^orkers, 

 it is beyond the power of most of us to keep even fairly well informed 

 concerning even the more important w^ork being done. In his presi- 

 dential address before the seventeenth annual meeting, Mr. Quaint- 

 ance made a suggestion^ which I have always regretted was not more 

 favorably considered and I beg to again call it to your attention. It 

 was "that a person be annually designated for each of the principal 

 natural divisions of the general subject whose duty it will be to pre- 

 sent, at the following meeting, a resume oi the principal results achieved 

 in that particular branch during the year. The reports of these 

 several persons would become part of our proceedings and could be 

 referred to at will by workers in other lines." A list of such branches 

 of the subject was given which is now generally' recognized as a 



^Bulletin 52, Bureau of Entomology, p. 17. 



