Entomology and Other Sciences 297 



duction of certain serious pests, apiary inspection to protect the bee- 

 keeper against foul-brood and other troubles, insecticide regulations to 

 guard against inefficient insecticides, and quarantine regulations to pro- 

 tect the state or sections of the state from new insect pests or those 

 not generally distributed. 



Supplementary to the studies already mentioned, the entomologist 

 must have a thorough knowledge of insect classification and be able to 

 identify the thousands of insects which come to his attention annually. 

 The importance of immediate and correct identification of insects is of 

 vital importance and while the common and usual insects are readily 

 identified those occurring periodically, those of uncommon occurrence, 

 and those foreign to the state or nation can usually be identified only 

 with the assistance of a reference collection. 



The v.'ork of the entomologist's office has many features in common 

 with that of the weather forecaster. We are gradually assuming the role 

 of insect forecasters and I believe it will be only a comparatively short 

 time until the entomologist will be able to forecast with reasonable 

 certainty the likely occurrence in destructive numbers of this or that in- 

 sect. This is already possible in the case of some of our common pests, 

 such as the wheat jointworm, Hessian fly, white grub, chinch bug, peri- 

 odical cicada and others. Forecasting necessitates a careful study of 

 the past history of insect outbreaks, their causes, the relation of crop- 

 pings, weather, parasites and the many other factors connected with 

 insect life. In other words, with the forecasting of insect trouble as an 

 important routine of the entomologist's office, we find that the entomol- 

 ogist must be an ecologist and have a working knowledge of the funda- 

 mental principles of the various branches of agriculture and other 

 sciences. This phase of entomology further illustiates the intimate 

 connection which it bears to all phases of human life. 



The entomologist must ever be alert for pests foreign to the state 

 or nation. Probably a majority of our major insect pests are of exotic 

 origin and it is noteworthy that many of these pests are not of any 

 great importance in their native habitat so that we cannot always de- 

 pend on the status of an insect in its native home as a criterion for its 

 acts in America. 



And finally, what is the future of insect control? Certainly the 

 kinds of insects attacking our cultivated ci'ops are going to be more 

 numerous in the future. Insecticides are now the major methods of 

 direct control and they will continue as essentials to insect control but we 

 will need to make further and more intensive investigations to find 

 cheaper and more effective materials and methods. The cultivation of 

 resistant varieties is likely to be an important feature of future insect 

 control but above all the further development of insect control by farm 

 practices and by the biological method — control by natural enemies — 

 are certain to be among the most important factors in insect control 

 work a hundred years hence. 



