88 JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY [Vol. 4 



my state fund. Another (juestion arises in regard to the amount of 

 instruction given in the public schools of our states. How many- 

 public schools of this country are teaching entomologj'? I firmly 

 believe all of them should be teaching it in an elementary way. It 

 could be taught much easier than many other subjects, it seems to me. 



Mr. S. J. Hunter: I have been very much interested in the dis- 

 cussion this afternoon, because it has presented a phase of the subject 

 that I am not familiar with from experience, because in Kansas we 

 have no short courses. I take it for granted that it was intended 

 that each should say something about his own institution in regard 

 to the work done. I think every one of us has been impressed with 

 the students' change of attitude toward the institution from che day 

 he begins, when the thing is "a bug," and the day he leaves with a. 

 proper view of life. At the University of Kansas we require zoology 

 for entrance. Entomology we do not absolutely require, but we see 

 that the student takes it before passing out of the course. We 

 endeavor to make entomology a two-year course, taking the man in 

 the sophomore year; the first year, three days a week is given to 

 two hours' laboratory work, two days a week to systematic stud}^ 

 through the year, at the close of which we expect the student to be 

 familiar with all the common forms as far as the family. The next 

 year he gets more of the same, but we have no special work students 

 until the graduate year. We insist upon the first year's work being as 

 intensive as possible. Of course, we recognize the fact that many 

 of our students do not go on with entomology. 



Mr. Swenk: Regarding the instruction in entomology, and the 

 advisability of such a course in a secondary school: in Nebraska we 

 have three courses, the summer school, — the School of Agriculture 

 offers four years, — and a six weeks' course in the winter, kno■v^^l as the 

 winter course. Now, as an answer to the question as to whether 

 entomology has a place as a required subject, I would say that the 

 competition for a place as a required course in the four-year course 

 is quite keen at our institution, and the law of the "survival of the 

 fittest" has not ceased to operate. In this course if we were not 

 giving practical instruction it would, in all likelibood, be dropped, 

 because the subject is not a prime favorite. Now, the method of 

 teaching, as employed at this institution, is, as Professor Bruner 

 says, one that simply evolved during the past eight or nine years. It 

 has been changed in different points from year to year, especially 

 during the latter years, and as we are presenting it at the present time 

 it seems to give some measure of success. Still, we find the work 

 must be made exceedingly elementary. These boys come to the school, 

 many of them, very green, and with very insufficient preparation, 



