207 



tion has, or should have, uo such limitations. Some of us who are 

 entitled to membership in both bodies may feel indifferent as to the 

 course finally decided upon, and that it will not make any difiference 

 whether we have an outside and independent organization as that of 

 the Association of Official Chemists, or whether we do, as did the bot- 

 anists and horticulturists, waive independence in favor of more direct 

 connection with the general Association, providing there is some way 

 whereby the committees of the general Association are given sufficient 

 latitude and time to i^roperly present their papers and deliberate ; but 

 there are others who feel more sensitive as to their action and are more 

 immediately influenced by the feelings of the main body. I hope that 

 whatever action be taken at this meeting the general good and the pro- 

 motion of economic entomology will be kept in mind and that no sec- 

 tional or personal feeling will be allowed to influence our deliberations. 



SUGGESTION AND COMMENT. 



You will, I know, pardon me if before concluding these remarks I ven- 

 ture to make a few comments which, though not altogether agreeable, 

 are made in all sincerity and in the hope of doing good. The question 

 as to how far purely technical and especially descriptive and mono- 

 graphic work should be done by the different stations or by the national 

 Department is one which I have already alluded to and upon which we 

 shall probably hold differing opinions and which will be settled accord- 

 ing to the views of the authorities at the different stations. Individ- 

 ually 1 bave ever felt that one ostensibly engaged in applied entomol- 

 ogy and paid by the State or national Government to the end that he 

 may benefit the agricultural community can be true to his trust only by 

 largely overcoming the pleasure of purely entomological work having 

 no practical bearing. I would, therefore, draw the line at descriptive 

 work except where it is incidental to the economic work and for the 

 purpose of giviug accuracy to the popular and economic statements. 

 This would make our work esssentially biological, for all biologic inves- 

 tigation would be justified, not only because the life-habits of any in- 

 sect, once ascertained, throw light on those of species which are closely 

 related to it, but because we can never know when a species, at present 

 harmless, may subsequently prove harmful and have to be classed 

 among the species injurious to agriculture. 



On the question of credit to their original sources of results alread^-^ 

 on record it is hardly necessary for me to advise, because good sense 

 and the consensus of opinion will in the end justify or condemn a writer 

 according as he prove just and conscientious in this regard. 



There is one principle that should guide every careful writer, viz., that 

 in any publications whatever where facts or opinions are put forth it 

 should always be made clear as to which are based upon the author's 

 personal experience and which are compiled or stated upon the authority 

 of others. We should have no patience with a very common tendency 



