73 



was increased to $750. In 1875 the grant was $750, plus $100 for illus- 

 trations; in 1876 $750, plus $500 toward the expense of an exhibit at 

 the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia; in 1877, 1878, and 1879 it 

 was $750 per annum, and in 1880 the grant was increased to $1,000, at 

 which sum it has continued since that date. The Government also 

 pays the expense of printing the annual report. 



The society has conscientiously comjjlied with the conditions of the 

 grant. Its reports, published annually, have greatly increased in size 

 and in the general interest of their contents. They have contained 

 much matter of economic value as well as of educational interest. 



In 1884 the Department of Agriculture of Canada established the 

 office of honorary entomologist, and this office was filled by the appoint- 

 ment of Mr. James Fletcher, at that time an employe of the Govern- 

 ment Library at Ottawa, and already widely known in entomological 

 circles through his active interest in the Ontario society and his con- 

 tributions to its publications. On July 1, 1887, Mr. Fletcher was trans- 

 ferred to the staff" of the Dominion Experimental Farms at Ottawa as 

 entomologist and botanist. Mr. Fletcher's footing since that date has 

 been practically identical with that of an entomologist to one of our 

 State experiment stations, except that his field is larger. He has pub- 

 lished a report yearly in the Annual Report of the Experimental Farms, 

 published as an appendix to the report of the Minister of Agriculture. 

 Mr. Fletcher has shown himself to be a man of extraordinary energy, 

 a most entertaining writer, and a most careful observer, and one who 

 has always kept the practical part of his work foremost in view. He 

 has paid a great deal of attention to a side of his work which is neg- 

 lected by many of our own official entomologists, namely, personal 

 intercourse with farmers, frequent talks on injurious insects at farmers' 

 institutes, etc., and has in this way built up a very large clientage 

 among the most intelligent agriculturists of the Dominion. In economic 

 entomology Canada at the present day is perhaps in no way- behind the 

 United States, and this is largely due to Mr. Fletcher's individual efforts, 

 aided and encouraged as they are by the warm support of the eminent 

 director of the experimental farms system, Mr. William Saunders, 

 himself a pioneer in economic entomology in Canada and the author of 

 one of the most valuable treatises upon the subject that has ever been 

 published in America. Canada has the man and the knowledge, but 

 has been hampered by want of funds. The result is that while she 

 has immediately and intelligently adopted the results of researches 

 made in this country, she has not been able to lead us in original inves- 

 tigation. 



European Countries. 



In general it may be said that Europe has not felt the need of ento- 

 mological investigation from the economic standpoint to anything like 

 the same extent as the United States. A climate much less favorable 



