13 



insects injurious during the various years. These accounts are grouped 

 under important food plants as a rule. Exceptional features are that 

 his report for 1893 contains a brief general account of the more injuri- 

 ous species belonging to all orders, and that for 1895 an interesting 

 and valuable paper on the Relation of Insects to Fruits. Later reports 

 give much space to crude petroleum as a reraed}' for San Jose scale. 



The late State entomologist of Minnesota, Dr. Otto Lugger, began 

 a series of reports which promised, when completed, to form a remark- 

 able contribution to the entomology of America. His second report 

 treats of parasites of man and domestic animals, the third of the Orthop- 

 tera, the fourth of Hemiptera, the fifth of Coleoptera, the sixth of 

 Lepidoptera, and it is stated that the manuscript treating of the Dip- 

 tera" was nearly completed at the time of his death. It is certain that 

 had this series of reports been carried to an end, America would have 

 been favored with one of the best general works on practical entomol- 

 ogy which has yet been issued. 



The reports of the Entomological Society of Ontario, l)eginning in 

 1870 and extending to date, is a remarkable series of publications, 

 replete with interesting and valualjle observations by many writers 

 upon the economic insects of that section. These reports, and those 

 from 188-1 to date, of Dr. James Fletcher, entomologist and l)otanist of 

 the Central Experimental Farms, include most of our records con- 

 cerning the insects of the northern part of America, and are composed 

 largely of original observations and exceedingly practical recommen- 

 dations and deductions from observed facts. 



It will be seen from the above that the reports of various State 

 entomologists differ widely one from the other, and that within cer- 

 tain limits at least a considerable choice is admissible. There has 

 been of late 3^ears a marked tendencv toward specialization, which is 

 perhaps as well exhibited in the publications of the United States 

 Department of Agriculture as anywhere. The report of the Entomol- 

 ogist, which was formerly a contribution of some 200 or 300 pages, 

 has been cut down and comprises relativel}^ few pages devoted to 

 a general discussion of conditions. The entomological matter for- 

 merly appearing in the report has been subdivided and is made public 

 either as special papers in the Yearbook or as bulletins treating of 

 some special subject, which ma}" be either economic or systematic. It 

 seems to the speaker that generally speaking this is a step in the right 

 direction. The general public is not interested in entomology itself, 

 and will read bulletins or reports on the subject only when some prac- 

 tical end is served. It must, therefore, be approached from this point 

 of view. The speaker has been impressed for some years with the 



f Since reading the above Professor Washbnrn has infonned us that he has failed 

 to find any such manuscript, and if it ever existed it has probably been lost. 



