83 



published an important work upon a branch of economic entomology 

 entitled Les lusectes de la Vigne. No uation could have attacked an 

 insect problem with more energy than did the French the question of 

 subduing the Phylloxera in the early seventies, by means of special 

 commissions and the offering of large rewards to scientific investiga- 

 tors. The same energy was displayed when they were confronted with 

 that disastrous disease of the silkworm known as pebrine. More 

 recently the question of the injury to cultivated crops in Algeria by 

 the Algerian locust has been approached with the same degree of 

 scientific ability. But the apj)ointment of special salaried entomolog- 

 ical officers is a new thing in France. 



In 1803 there was established at Paris an institution called Le Lab- 

 oratoire de Parasitologic Vegetale de la Bourse de Commerce. This 

 institution was created by the Societe de la Bourse de Commerce of 

 Paris in the interest of agriculture, of the commerce in grain, and of 

 all the agrictiltural interests of which the Bourse de Commerce is the 

 centre d'affaires in Paris. The laboratory was founded by the ai)point- 

 ment of M. J. Danysz as director, and several bulletins have been 

 published. 



More recently Prof. Brocchi, professor of zoology at the Institut 

 Agronomique, at Paris, has been charged with the founding of a 

 department of agricultural entomology. The work of the department 

 will be to identity insects sent in for that purpose by agriculturists, 

 and to point out means of destroying insect pests or diminishing their 

 ravages. For some time previously M. Brocchi had, in his capacity of 

 professor of zoology, answered questions upon economic entomology 

 referred to him by the ministry of agriculture, and, as notably in the 

 case of Uphestia kuehmella, a report iiiwn which he published in the 

 Bitlletin du Ministere de I'Agriculture, 1888, has occasionally furnished 

 full and valuable reports. 



SPAIN. 



Aside from commission work upon the Phylloxera, Spain has done 

 nothing in the way of official work in economic entomology. The shin- 

 ing light in entomological research in Spain, Dr. Ignacio Bolivar, for 

 many years connected with the National Museum at Madrid, and cura- 

 tor of entomology in the Central University, has published many iiai>ers 

 upon insects, some of them having an economic bearing, notably those 

 upon injurious locusts of the Mediterranean region. Within the past 

 few weeks an item has appeared in the newspapers stating that Spain 

 has appropriated $100,000 to further Phylloxera investigations, but 

 concerning the method in which the sum is to be used I have learned 

 nothing. 



THE NETHERLANDS. 



Economic entomology in the Netherlands, while reasonably advanced 

 through the private labors of Dr. J. Kitzema Bos and several other 

 5216— No. 2 3 



