11 



zations in the enforcement of crop pest and nursery inspection laws, 

 the number of persons officially enoaged in work pertaining to insect 

 •control would be easil}' doubled. 



Investigations in economic entomology are made leading lines of 

 work in 13 out of 48 of the agricultural experiment stations, and this 

 subject is taught in practically as many of the agricultural colleges. 

 Much valuable work is l^eing done by several of the State departments 

 of agriculture and State boards of horticulture. In the Bureau of 

 Entomology of the United States Department of Agriculture the 

 force now engaged in strictly entomological work numbers 59 as com- 

 pared with 14 ujider the division organization of 11H)0. 



The nicrease in workers has naturally l^een dependent on an 

 increased financial support. At no previous time has so large a sum 

 of monev been devoted to the study of injurious insects. The sum 

 total of money annually devoted to work of this character may be only 

 approximately indicated, for separate accounts are not kept in most 

 of the agricultural colleges and experiment stations of the money 

 spent in entomological research. However, from actual figures, in 

 many cases, and from conservative estimates, I would place the 

 amount at not less than $285,000. This, of course, does not include 

 special appropriations, as, for instance, that by the Federal Govern- 

 ment of $250,000 for work against the Ijoll weevil and other cotton 

 insects and diseases, the $25,000 appropriated by the State of Loui- 

 siana for the same purpose, and notable emergency appropriations 

 of the past, such as that for the gypsy moth. 



VieAved from a business standpoint, it is pertinent to inquire what 

 economic entomology has done in the Avay of returns in dollars and 

 cents for the money invested by the public. A balance sheet which 

 woidd show the present status of the account and be even approxi- 

 mateh^ correct can not be prepared, owing to the difficulty of accu- 

 rately estimating the credits. AVe can, however, make estimates so 

 well within the bounds of reason as to run no possible risk of over- 

 stating the case. I have therefore gone over the literature with a 

 view to deciding how far economic entomology has been instrumental 

 in increa'^ing the output of some of our staple crops and fruits. The 

 original estimates were cut in half, and there still remains a credit 

 sufficiently large to satisfy the ideas of profit of some of our present- 

 day multimillionaire corporations. 



The following table shoAvs the value of certain classes of crops in 

 the United States for the year 1899, as reported in the Tw^elfth Cen- 

 sus, with the estimated benefits resulting from the teachings of 

 economic entomology stated in percentage and also in dollars and 

 cents. Tlie writer believes this to be a most conservative estimate of 



