ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 77 



back as 1831 he published a list of the insects of your State. 

 The importance of his researches was so appreciated that he was 

 appointed one of a commission for a more thorough survey of the 

 geology and botany of your State, entomology, however, being 

 still an outside issue, and only developed because of his 

 knowledge of its great importance to future generations in the 

 oare of vegetable productions so essential to the life of man. 

 Entomologists who see the possibility of increase so enormously 

 displayed in insect life, are specially educated as to what will 

 become of vegetation, if steps are not taken successfully to 

 combat the hosts increasing both in variety and numbers. 



As pleasant as it is for me to congratulate you upon the 

 successful w^ork already accomplished in your State, it is my more 

 important duty to remind you that our knowledge of the work of 

 keeping insects in subjection, is still but in its infancy, and we 

 must not only be willing to work in lines that now look to us 

 fairly successful, but must deliberately look for deficiencies, and 

 study to devise more effective means to meet all these needs. Of 

 the hundreds of letters I have to answer during the year, I have 

 yet to receive one in reply, saying the advice w^as thankfully 

 received and the work would be undertaken. 



In one of our prominent Hudson Eiver cities, the elm trees were 

 being defoliated by the elm beetle last season, and one of the 

 prominent citizens came to me in seemingly great distress and 

 wanted to know what we were doing to keep our trees looking so 

 well. After advising him and showing him our machines at work, 

 he said he would at once have the work started and carried on. 

 That was the last I heard of him until this winter, when another 

 citizen of the same place called to see me — filled with still greater 

 distress, if that were possible — and wanted to know what to do 

 with the trees in order to preserve the foliage for the coming 

 summer. He thought they were dying, and something must be 

 done. I mentioned the fact that his fellow townsman had, I 

 supposed, been destroying the insects during the past summer. 

 " Yes," he replied, "That gentleman told us he had seen you, 

 but did not think the work practicable." The truth was, it was 

 too much trouble, after consulting the physician, to apply the 

 remedy, and as soon as he found that it was not altogether slight- 

 of-hand work, but real di'udgery, he put it out of his mind and 

 soon set aside the heavy responsibility. And this is but one 



