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ner, with tlie evideut idea of broadening the scope of the Association, 

 introduced. an amendment to drop the word "official" from the title, 

 and this amendment was adopted at the meeting at Champaign, 111., 

 the following year. Notwithstanding this fact, the membership of the 

 Association is today largely official 5 out of 73 members GO hold official 

 positions, while the active work is all done by those with whom eco- 

 nomic entomology is a means of subsistence. At the last meeting, that 

 held in Eochester in August, 1893, every member registered belonged 

 to the official class. 



The organization meeting at Toronto on the 30th of August, 1889, 

 presented a strange contrast to this. It was held, as may not gener- 

 ally be known, upon a wooded knoll at a landing called Scarborough 

 Heights, overlooking the waters of Lake Erie. The beach below and 

 the woods around were being scoured by industrious collectors of the 

 old section F, of the American Association for the Advancement of 

 Science. Professor Cook, who presided, occupied a dignified position 

 astride a fallen log. Dr. Smith, who acted as secretary, had climbed 

 with difficulty to the top of a tall stump and took his minutes on his 

 knee. Dr. Bethune, Mr. Fletcher, Mr. E. Baynes Reed, Mr. H. H. 

 Lyman, Prof. C. W. Hargitt, Mr. E. P. Thompson, and the writer 

 reclined with more or less grace, according to their physical conforma- 

 tion, upon the ground or sat cross-legged upon convenient ant-hills. 

 This grouj), which made the Association "official" in name, was com- 

 posed of four official entomologists and five who were simply interested 

 workers. 



This brief historical paragraph is introduced for the purpose of show- 

 ing the interesting paradox that this Association was originally made 

 official by non-officials, that it was subsequently made non-official by 

 officials, and that since it was made non-official it has become more 

 official than before. 



It is in part for this reason that I have chosen to bring together for 

 presentation at this meeting some account of the rise and i)resent con- 

 dition of official economic entomology, but more largely for the other 

 reasons that few of us probably have been able to take a comprehensive 

 view of the status of our application of entomology the world over, and 

 that a review of what has been done can not but justify our existence 

 as a class and as an association and afford the strongest of arguments 

 for the increase of our numbers and for increase of means and fiicilities. 



The ravages of insects on cultivated plants were doubtless coetaneous 

 with the beginning of the cultivation of plants. Thus a necessity for 

 economic entomologists existed at a very early time. The condition of 

 the ancient husbandman with reference to injurious insects is voiced 

 by the prophet Joel, when he says: 



That which the palmer-worm hath left, hath the locust eaten; and that which 

 the locust hath left hath the canker-worm eaten; and that which the canker-worm 

 hath left hath the caterpillar eaten. * * * He hath laid my vine waste and 



