Secrion IV., 1895. [3] Trans. RS, C. 
I.— Presidential Address: Practical Entomology. 
By JAMES FLETCHER, FL. 
~ 
(Read May 15, 1895. 
INTRODUCTORY. 
Undoubtedly a noticeable feature of the last decade has been the 
general recognition of the value of science,—that is, accurate know- 
ledge—in carrying on all the ordinary occupations of life. The foolish 
ideas that science is a sort of wonderland, not to be entered except by a 
favoured few, or that science as a study must not be popularized for fear 
of degrading it, are now only held by the ignorant or those who are 
unwilling to learn. Science is, merely, accurate knowledge in all branches of 
study, and the popularizing of science means only the rendering of such 
knowledge so simple or accessible as to be available to all who wish to 

learn. 
Strenuous efforts are now being made by the leading thinkers in all 
lines of study, to give their investigations a practical application to the 
every-day affairs of life. In no direction have these efforts been attended 
with so much success as in what are called the natural sciences. Recent 
developments in the application of electricity may well be said to have 
revolutionized the whole systems of transportation and communication, 
as well as the lighting of cities and individual buildings, and offer a most 
attractive field for discussion by any scientific body. Perhaps I need not 
crave your indulgence for drawing your attention to a few instances 
showing how the agriculture of to-day is benefited by the investigations of 
scientific workers. The chemist is now thoroughly recognized by the 
agricultural classes as the magician who can unlock to them hidden 
secrets as to the true value of various crops ; can tell them which are the 
best to grow for stock, to provide food, or as fertilizers of the soil ; 
can tell them, after analysis, what constituents of a soil are lacking, and 
advise them as to the most economical way of replacing the required 
elements. The skill of the practical botanist is now being chiefly directed 
to the examination of parasitic fungi, with the object of devising suitable 
remedies for those species which attack cultivated vegetation, or of pro- 
pagating the parasitic forms which destroy insect life. In the closely 
allied branches of horticulture and agriculture, numberless experiments 
are being carried on daily with the object of discovering and originating 
by selection and hybridization new varieties of flowers, fruits, grains and 
vegetables ; the best methods of propagation and cultivation, the best 
treatment of the soil and the most effectual and economical fertilizers. 
Here also, in passing, reference may be made to the care, improvement 
