May, 1921. 



SCIENTIFIC AGRICULTURE 



221 



correlate the time of its appearance with the real awak- 

 ening in this province of interest in entomology as a 

 subject for serious study. 



At the present time we liave but touched the fringe 

 of the entomological problems that face its in Saskat- 

 chewan and in the prairie provinces generally. Our 

 ignorance of the most common species of insects of 

 economic importance is colossal, and agriculturists who 

 have heretofore considered that entomological work 

 is merely a minor adjunct of tlie other branches of 

 agriculture, such as agronomy, horticulture and animal 

 luisbandry, have begun to realize their mistake. At 

 present all our efforts are being concentrated in an 

 effort to reduce the grasshopper to a state of impo- 

 tence, and we are thus likely to forget that cutworms, 

 — to mention but one other instance — which are more 

 insidious in their destructiveness, are the causative 

 agents -on crop-losses from year to year tiiat compare 

 favorably with those caused by the grasshoppers. 

 Further, the problems of the trained entomologist are 

 not confined solely to the protection of our crops; in 

 the realms of veterinary and medical entomology there 

 are urgent demands for scientists equipped with the 

 necessary training to investigate injurious species that 

 are detrimental to stock and to human welfare. Within 

 the limits of our province there occurs a wide variety 

 of bot-flies, horse-flies, black-flies and mosquitoes, not 

 to mention such internal parasites as the recently ar- 

 rived tapeworm of "staggers," all of which are serious 

 inhibiting agents in the extension of human endeavors. 

 These and many other examples could be cited that 

 await investigation, and tlie solution of their control 

 can only be attained by the zoologist or entomologist 

 who has had the necessary scientific training and is 

 sufficiently well-equipped mentall.v to carry out bio- 

 logical researcli of the highest i|uality. 



Tlie Training' of the Entomologist. 



To many of us it ma.v not have been surprising that 

 when a demand for helpers in the grasshopper cam- 

 paign was made by the Provincial Department of Ag- 

 riculture, not a single field assistant could be obtained 

 who had received any special training in entomology. 

 Such men could certainly not be found in the province. 

 While nothing but praise can be offered to the Depart- 

 ment for the manner in which it has faced the problem, 

 it is now time that an attempt was made to remedy this 

 state of affairs. Naturally, in all matters pertaining to 

 technical training we must look to the University as 

 the centre of learning in the province, and although I 

 speak without authority, I am sure that if it can be 

 plainly shown that there is a need for an extension of 

 entomological teaching, the University will submit the 

 question to its sympathetic consideration. 



It has been already indicated that a class in ento- 

 mology has been carried on during the i)ast three years 

 in the University, but an examination of the class- 

 records show that a very small percentage of agricul- 

 tural students have attended the course. The members 

 of the class have been mainly drawn from the students 

 of the Facult.v of Arts, and in virtue of the already 

 crowded curriculum, the numbers have been compara- 

 tively small. This year there is but one agriciUtural 

 sNulent proceeding to the B.S.A. degree that has elect- 

 ed the class as one of his subjects. At present ento- 

 mology constitutes but half-a-course in Parasitology. 

 It is our aim in these two Subjects to make the students 

 acquainted with the more common injurious animal 

 pests, so that they may learn something of their bio- 



logy and the means whereby they may be recognized. 

 The methods of control are also indicated, and wliilst 

 the economic aspects of the subjects are stressed, a 

 certain part of the time is devoted to the study of the 

 subjects on the systematic side. 



With the time at our disposal, it would be impossible 

 to attempt to turn out finished entomologists and para- 

 sitologists, but I am perfectly certain that those stu- 

 dents who have applied themselves diligently to the 

 work of the class, would be of excellent service to the 

 provincial department in its duties of controlling in- 

 jurious insects. I would therefore recommend that 

 agricultural students proceeding to a degree should 

 be advised to attend these courses and that means 

 be provided for the extension of the po.ssibilities 

 for advanced work in those cases where students might 

 choose to specialise in entomology. To my mind this 

 would provide a solution for the present dearth of 

 trained workers in the field of entomology. 



Tlie lack of trained entomologists is a problem that 

 affects not only Saskatchewan but tlie country at large. 

 Just at present the Federal Department of Agriculture 

 is experiencing the greatest difficulty in finding a suit- 

 able candidate to take over the position of Entomolo- 

 gist in Saskatchewan which lately became vacant. The 

 rea.sou for this is not far to seek. The training of the 

 entomologist is a long and arduous one and amongst 

 other qualifications he must show an aptitude for car- 

 rying on original research work. His training must not 

 be one-sided. In addition to the purely cultural sub- 

 jects, he should have more than a speaking aciiuaiu- 

 tauce with the whole field of biology as well as the re- 

 lated sciences of physics and chemistry. The problems 

 he is asked to investigate are of such a varied nature 

 that he must be prepared to draw upon all the basic 

 .sciences for the funds of his information if he intends 

 to advance the bounds of human knowledge. It is not 

 sufficient then that he should be interested merely in 

 entomology in order to satisfy an ambition to acquire 

 an ^tomological position. He should know something 

 of all the sciences and everything of entomology when 

 his academic training is completed and he is ready to 

 face the realities of entomological problems in the field. 

 His course should not be so heavily weighted on the 

 systematic side as to exclude the practical. The chan- 

 ces are that whereas he may know all that can be 

 learned of the characters that distinguish one species 

 from another in the laboratory, the first question with 

 which he is met in the field will refer to the best brand 

 of lead arsenate that should be used in the control of 

 some injurious insect. 



The emoluments that are attached to our entomolo- 

 gical positions liave always been more or less in- 

 adequate when one comes to consider the time neces- 

 sary for acquiring the proper training and the import- 

 ance of the service given to the community by the en- 

 tomologist. It is therefore scarcely to be "wondered at 

 that there are comparatively few scientists who choose 

 to follow up a course in entomology. 



The Relation of the Federal Entomologist to the 

 Provincial Dep.artment of Agriculture. 



It has already been indicated that it has been the 

 unwritten policy of the federal Entomological Branch 

 that their representative should confine his attentions 

 to original research work in the provinces to which 

 they have been delegated. In most cases he has also 

 acted in an advisory capacity among the agriculturists 

 at large and to the provincial department of agricul- 



