MASSACHUSETTS Cetd%a€e^ 



By F. R. SHAW and A. I. BOURNE 

 Department of Entomology 



SIXTV-FI\'E hundred of the 

 eighty-five thousand insects in 

 the United States are considered 

 public enemies. Their annual dam- 

 age, estimated at four billion dol- 

 lars, would keep a million men 

 ^vorking each year. 



It is the old story of survival as 

 man and insect contend for the 

 same needs at the same time. In 

 spite of improved pesticide mate- 

 rials and techniques in controlling 

 insect life, the pests are so prolific 

 and adaptable that they still con- 

 stitute an ever-present menace. 



Federal Commission Established 



When migratory grasshoppers 

 threatened western agriculture in 

 1877, C. V. Riley, State Entomolo- 

 gist of Missouri, took up the chal- 

 lenge by helping to form the U. S. 

 Entomological Commission, which 

 was so successful that the next year 

 the U. S. Department of Agriculture 

 established the Division of Ento- 

 mology with C. V. Riley as its head. 

 W'ith him was }. H. Comstock, one 

 of the oiUstanding entomologists of 



all time, and L. O. Howard, who 

 was credited as the man most re- 

 sponsible for making the American 

 people "insect conscious." 



Entomology in Massachusetts 



Massachusetts could very easily 

 fill her Hall of Fame ^vith the names 

 of notable entomologists. T. H. 

 Harris, author and Harvard librar- 

 ian, credited by many as "The 

 Father of Economic Entomology," 

 was probably the first to teach 

 entomology at college level in 

 North America. 



L. L. Langstroth, the "Father of 

 Modern Beekeeping," discovered 

 the "bee space" in 1851 and revolu- 

 tionized the whole beekeeping in- 

 dustry. 



A. S. Packard, State Entomologist 

 in 1871, contributed a monograph 

 of "Insects Affecting Forest and 

 Shade Trees" and a Text Book of 

 Entomology. 



The Fernalds 



Professor Charles Henry Fernald, 

 his ^vife Maria, and his son, Henry 



Fernald Hall on the 

 University campus 

 houses the Entomol- 

 ogy Department. 



Photo by 

 Kinsman's Studio 



