202 



Although the resolution offered at our last meeting by Professor Cook, 

 to the effect that purely descriptive matter should be excluded from 

 the station bulletins, met with no favor, but was laid on the table by 

 the general association, I am in full sympathy with this position and 

 an) strongly of the opinion that in the ordinary bulletins such purely 

 technical and descriptive matter should be reduced to the necessary 

 minimum, consistent with clearness of statement and accuracy, and that 

 if it is desired on the part of the st ition entomologists to issue tech- 

 nical and descriptive papers, a separate series of bulletins were better 

 instituted for this class of matter. 



Finally, for results which it is desired to get promptly before the peo- 

 ple, the agricultural press is at our disposal, and so far as the entomo- 

 logical work of the Department of Agriculture is coucerned, the period- 

 ical bulletin. Insect Life, was established for this purpose. Its col- 

 umns are open to all station workers, and I would here appeal to the 

 members of the Association to help make it, as far as possible, national, 

 by sending brief notes and digests of their work as it progresses. Hith- 

 erto we have been unable to make as much effort in this direction as 

 we desired, but in future it is our hope to make the bulletin, as far as 

 circumstances will permit, a national medium through which the re- 

 sults of work done in all parts of the country may quickly be put on 

 record and distributed not only to all parts of our own country, but to 

 all parts of the world. 



The rapid growth and development of the national Department and 

 the multiplication of its Divisions have necessitated special modes of 

 publication and rendered the annual report almost an anachronism, so 

 far as it pretends to be what it at one time was — a pretty complete re- 

 port of the scientific and other work of the Department. The attempts 

 which I have made through the proper authorities to get Congress to 

 order quarto volumes similar to those issued by other Departments of 

 the Government, for well illustrated scientific memoirs or monographs 

 have not met with encouragement, and in this direction many of the 

 stations will, let us hope, be able to do better. 



COOPERATION. 



Every other subject that might be considered on this occasion must 

 be subordinate to the one great question of cooperation. With the large 

 increase of actual workers in our favorite field, distributed all over the 

 country, the necessity for some cooperation and coordination must be 

 apparent to every one. Just how this should be brought about or in 

 what direction we may work toward it, will be for this Association in 

 its deliberations to decide. Nor will I venture to anticipate the delib- 

 erations and conclusions of the special committee appointed to take the 

 matter into consideration, beyond the statement that there are many 

 directions in which we can adopt plans for mutual benefit. Take, for 

 instance, the introduction and dissemination of parasites. How much 



