296 Proceedings of Indiana Academy of Science 



the gardener or the fruit-grower to use diligently for the protection or 

 the preservation of his crops, which make our entomology economic. 

 To publish valuable results without making sure of their appreciation 

 and appropriation by our constituents, is to fail of real usefulness. To 

 bring a result to bear on the practice of one man only when a thousand 

 are suffering for the w^ant of it, is to fail in 99.9 per cent of our proper 

 undertaking. We must first do exact, exhaustive, conclusive, practical, 

 economic work, and then we mu.'^t find means to get that work utilized 

 or it is an economic dead loss". 



The correspondence of the entomologist may be considered as ex- 

 tension work and is not routine as might be geneially supposed. The 

 three steps in insect control are diagnosis, prescription and application. 

 Thus every inquii-y must be handled as an individual case and mu.^t be 

 diagnosed and information furnished accordingly, much as a physician 

 would diagnose a human ailment. The third step in insect control — 

 application — is of course dependent on the person who must apply the 

 remedy and too often the remedy proves ineffective because of faulty 

 application — as poor or improper materials, or equipment, or lack of 

 timeliness or thoi-oughpess of application. 



3. Investigation and Research. The investigation and research 

 problems in economic entomology include various phases of work. First 

 of all the investigator must have a thorough knowledge of the facts 

 connected with the method and type of injury. A general study of the 

 life hi.stoiy and habits of the insect must be made and this ordinarily 

 must be followed by a complete and caicful study of the various phases 

 of the life of the insect and of its habits which may necessitate detailed 

 studies, including studies in tropisms, ecological relations and the like. 

 These may be very simple or more likely complex investigations. The 

 life history must be studied from all angles and under the possible 

 varying conditions, and the results of these studies used as a basis for 

 theoretical controls. These theoretical controls must be tested fir.st in 

 a small way and sometimes it is necessary to test out hundreds of ma- 

 terials or methods before likely controls are found. The most likely 

 methods of control as determined by the small plot tests are then tried 

 on a large scale and these we term field tests or experiments. In all 

 control work it is essential that the entomologist be in con.stant touch 

 with the agronomi.st, horticulturali.st, botanist and forester in order 

 that his recommendations may not be at variance or interfere with the 

 mo.st approved farm practices. The di.scovery and formulation of meth- 

 ods of contiolling oi' subduing insect pests is of course the prime function 

 of the economic entomologist. In all experimental work, it is essential, 

 if truthful, dependable and lasting results are to be obtained, for the 

 investigator to exercise the highest degree of fairness and accuracy 

 in recording and interpreting results, and to eliminate or at lea.st make 

 due allowance for any disturbing or unnatural influonces which may 

 enter into the problem. 



4. Regulatory. We may include under this heading all activities 

 having to do with the enforcement of laws pertaining to entomology, 

 such as nursery inspection to protect the orchardist against the intro- 



