354 PROCEEDINGS OF THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



region in the United States which was not directly threatened 

 by the pest. In the meantime there was the greatest activity with 

 regard to the insect on the part of economic entomologists, agri- 

 cultural and horticultural societies, agricultural journals, and 

 State organizations. * * * It occupied the attention of nearly 

 every meeting of farmers and fruit growers that was held ni the 

 United States from 1894 to 1898, from the village club to the 

 great State agricultural and horticultural society. It was the 

 exciting cause of a national convention of fruit growers, farmers, 

 entomologists, and nurserymen which was held in Washington, 

 D. C, in the spring of 1897. It has been the subject of legisla- 

 tion in eighteen states of the nation and its suppression the prin- 

 cipal object of two bills which were laid before Congress. The 

 general spread of this destructive insect has worked great hard- 

 ship to many fruit growers, and was the cause of the loss of 

 many thousands of dollars ; but looking at it in another way, the 

 writer is firmly of the opinion that it has already been i:)roduc- 

 tive of great good and that its ultimate effect will be shown to 

 have been most beneficial. * * * Much beneficial legislation 

 has been enacted, and no one cause has begun to operate so 

 strongly as this in indicating the economic value of entomological 

 knowledge and of government support to entomological investi- 

 gation". Similar valuable but expensive contributions to our en- 

 tomological knowledge have been made by the gypsy moth and 

 brown-tail moth in the East and by the cotton boll weevil in the 

 Gulf States ; while our native insects have shown no inclination 

 to leave the field in favor of these foreign immigrants. There 

 seems no immediate danger that economic entomology will run 

 out of material to stimulate its activity. 



The response to these insect challenges has been the per- 

 fection of an organization of model efficiency, centering in the 

 Bureau of Entomology in Washington and ramifying out through 

 the states in the related work of the experiment stations and uni- 

 versities. It would be a hopeless task to attempt a mere catalog, 

 let alone a discussion, of the serious scientific work accomplished 

 in this line during our quarter century. Particularly interesting 

 to the general zoologist are the systematic campaigns against in- 



