U.S.DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Contribution from the Office of Experiment Stations, A. (X True, Director, 

 and the Bureau of Entomology, L. O. Howard, Chief. 



August 20. 1914. S90lOrS 



COLLECTION AND PRESERVATION OF INSECTS AND OTHER 

 MATERIAL FOR USE IN THE STUDY OF AGRICULTURE.^ 



By (J. H. Lane, Chief Specialist in Agricultural Education, and Nathan Banks, 

 Entomological Assistant. 



INTRODUCTION. 



This bulletin suggests methods of collecting, preparing, mounting, 

 and preserving insect specimens and other illustrative materials of 

 various sorts wliich can be used by teachers of agriculture,^ particu- 

 larly those teachers who have not had special training along agri- 

 cultural lines and who will therefore doubtless welcome specific infor- 

 mation as to how to prepare materials needed for illustration and 

 experimental use in the classroom. 



WHAT MATERIALS SHOULD BE COLLECTED. 



The nature of the material which the teacher should aim to collect 

 will depend, of course, upon the character of the school and the class 

 of work which is taken up, as well as upon the locality, the funds 

 available, and the time which can be devoted to the work. 



In general, the illustrative materials with which every school should 

 be provided moy be grouped into two classes, according to the uses 

 to wliich they are to be put: (1) Museum specimens and samples 

 which are to be kept permanently for reference, display, and strictly 

 illustrative purposes oidy; and (2) working collections, which may be 

 used for display and illustration, but the chief purpose of which is to 

 supply the students with materials for class study and experimental 

 use. For instructional purposes the latter is by far the more valu- 

 able, but a permanent collection of insect specimens and samples of 

 various other materials may be very useful to any school, provided, 

 of course, the specimens are accurately labeled and so preserved and 

 mounted that they are readily available for examination. It is with 



• This bulletin is intended for the use of teachers in rural schools throughout the country. 

 « Methods of eolleeting plant materials for this purpose are described in Farmers' Bulletin 586, which 

 can be had on application to the United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C. 

 50599°— Bull. 606—14 1 



