33 



the cnrtl system with tlio cards on edge so that they cau be readily 

 tluimbed, and witli f^uides to indicate the approximate ])osition of 

 material arran^jed al[)hal)e(ically or numerically. 



In my first expei-ience in Maryland we had our note slips arran«;ed 

 in boxes like spool boxes, with the class or subject on the front. We 

 found, however, that it took considerable time to open the box, hunt 

 through it for a slip, as there was no way to indicate its position in 

 the box, to replace the cover, etc. With the notes arranged on the 

 card system witli numerous guide cards, a given note can be quickly 

 found and replaced without disarranging tlu^ file. Third is the con- 

 sideration of divisil)iiity. If one wishes information concerning the 

 accesssions of a given species, for instance, he can remove these cards 

 fi-om the file and have them before him without the necessity of hunt- 

 ing through a book and copying olT each item. Or in working up a 

 rei)ort from notes, it is much more easily done by having all the 

 notes on a uniform size of paper, which can be sorted according to 

 dilTcrent subjects or phases of the work and written up accordingly, 

 without having to bother with a large volume or several notebooks, 

 the bulk of which is on other subjects than the one in hand. Again, 

 where more than one man is in an office it is a decided advantage to 

 be able to remove certain notes from the file without interfering with 

 the work of another, which would be necessary were they all in one 

 book oi- in several books in which several species are dealt with. 

 Fourth, compactness is a decided advantage along the same line. In 

 the systematic tile are to be found all the notes of a given species, 

 genus, or family, all together, ready for use, with no necessity of 

 looking to an index and hunting them up separately. A fifth point 

 of the gi-eatest impoi-taiice is that, no copying of field notes is iieces- 

 sar}'. NVlicre one has ample time or clerical help this ma}' not be an 

 advantage, but few men have time to recoi)y notes made in the field, 

 and where it is necessary they alone can do it. With the note slips 

 they are filed just as written in the field, .iiid if written intelligil)ly 

 will always be so. 



How many a note written on tiic bacl: of an envelope has been lost. 

 How often has a man gone to a new place and found that though his 

 predecessor has done years of faithful and valuable work, there are 

 no records from which he can gain an}' knowledge of any of that 

 work, except such as may have been jtublished, or upon which he can 

 build future work. One of the greatest dilficulties under whirli our 

 agricultural colleges and experiment stations are laboring in many 

 States is the frcciuent change of men. For the present there seems 

 to be no way of avoiding this. l'>ut it does seem to the writer that 

 the work of its employee belongs to the station, college, or State, and 

 should not be confined to the entomologist's head and carried off with 

 him when he retires, but should be plaee(l in writing in such intelli- 

 gible shape that a succes.sor can pick u[) the work and carry it for- 



22564— No. 46—04 3 



