302 



Parks (T. H.). Planning a State Extension Project in Entomology.— 

 Jl. Econ. Entom., Concord, N.H., xi, no. 2, April 1918, pp. 157-164 



The necessity for reducing waste at a time when crop values are 

 very high and food scarce makes the need of extension work in 

 apphed entomology greater than ever before. Hitherto this has been 

 done in a sporadic manner and without pre-arranged plans, by mem- 

 bers of the Federal Department of Agriculture or State Experiment 

 Station staff, whose advice and help has been sought in times of 

 trouble due to insect outbreaks. The time of these officers being so 

 limited, they have often been unable to formulate and initiate plans 

 to prevent the future occurrence of similar outbreaks. Owing to 

 the small amount of time they could devote to field-work, farming 

 interests have suffered heavily owing to the State agricultural colleges 

 and Federal Department of Agriculture being ignorant of insect 

 injuries then occurring. Extension entomology will now probably 

 take its place along with research and teaching work, the present 

 shortage of food-stuffs having brought about the realisation of its 

 potential usefulness. 



The main object to be attained is a reduction in the amount of 

 emergency work to be done, which necessitates a thorough knowledge 

 of state-wide crop conditions and the constant work in anticipation 

 of any threatened insect outbreak. For example the extension 

 entomology workers in Kansas were preparing during the autumn of 

 1917 for the grasshopper campaign of 1918 by locating and circulating 

 knowledge of the egg-laying places in Western Kansas. This latter 

 was effected by means of exhibits of grasshopper eggs accompanied 

 by information as to their location and directions for their destruction 

 by cultivation, the same plan being followed in control work for the 

 chinch bug [BUssus leucopterus]. 



Extension work must be planned on preventive lines, of which 

 the average general farmer is strangely ignorant in spite of the volumes 

 of literature that have been published. His desire is to interview 

 the active field-worker on his own farm and discuss his own conditions, 

 which makes it necessary that the entomologist should be quahfied 

 to speak intelligently on other branches of agriculture and should 

 have farm experience and an agricultural education. Such a visit 

 places the farmer in personal touch with the institution represented 

 by the entomologist, who in his turn leaves practical methods for use 

 under present conditions. 



Information is best circulated through the country farm bureau 

 agents who understand local needs and can ensure co-operation in 

 the whole community. 



As a preliminary to any plan of extension work, information from 

 all sources likely to be of value must be gathered and systematised, 

 and a yearly programme of work must be drawn up that will be 

 continuous and efficient, in addition to being in advance of emergency 

 calls. The "practical knowledge gained by comparing the results of 

 remedial measures under different methods of farm or crop manage- 

 ment, furnishes to the farmers convincing proof of the value of 

 applying the best measures of control. 



In most localities educational work is needed before demonstrational 

 work can be of any value, and the two should be made continuous 



