Conclusions and Recommendations. 



Scientific- investigation may be compared to investment; in-operly 

 -administered it pays tremendous dividends. This fact has been 

 repeatedly demonstrated in Hawaii, especially since 1904, when the 

 ravages of the Australian leafhopper made it necessary to establish 

 departments of entomology and pathology. A review of the history 

 of their M'ork for 1905 shows a staff of seven entomologists, three 

 pathologists, four chemists, three agriculturists, one illustrator, and one 

 stenographer. The president in his address for that year said — 



The establishment of the station on its present basis has entailed 

 considerable expense in the purchase of grounds and erection of 

 buildings. The running expenses from now on will be considerably 

 more than ever before. The amount lost, however, in the past year alone, 

 by the ravages of insect pests, would have paid the cost of establishing 

 fifty stations on the new basis and operating the same for a number of 

 years to come." 



Shortly after the introduction of the leafhopper parasites from 

 Australia, the growers estimated that their entomologists had saved them 

 an annual loss of more than 1,500,000 dollars. Furthermore, other 

 problems that have developed subsequently have been handled just as 

 eiificientlv" by their large staff: of scientific workers. 



Entomological problems in Australia are even more tremendous, so 

 that they will continue to demand constant attention as long as crops 

 are grown. Even with sugar-cane alone, pests are so destructive that 

 a considerable staff of trained investigators might he profitably employed. 

 I appreciate this all the more after working four years on these terrible 

 grub-pasts; hence I am keenly interested in having this particular 

 problem carried forward rapidly to a conclusion. While it is never 

 satisfactory to give up an investigation in the middle, this is especially 

 true when success is in sight. Yet I trust our present promising measures 

 will be continued and that their profitable application in the field can 

 be demonstrated. 



In future work with poisons I would suggest combining arsenic with 

 conservation of humus, following the method outlined above in .Mr. 

 E. D. Wilkinson's experiments. Furthermore, arsenite of soda could 

 be used with advantage for controlling the weeds, and it would then 

 combine with the humus. From my earliest reports, it will be noted. I 

 have consistently advocated the importance of humus in checking the 

 damage of grubs to our crops; moreover, there is prol)ably no easier 

 way to destroy them than by combining this organic matter with the 

 j'ight amount of poison. This phase of the problem remains to be 

 worked out by field experiment. 



