ENTOMOLOGY AND THE WAR—HOWARD. 415 
stopped, and by the further fact that more than a third of the actual 
production under these limitations was, toward the end, used by the 
Chemical Warfare Service. Nevertheless, the entomologists and the 
chemists and the insecticide manufacturers held frequent conferences 
as to how best to utilize the reduced quantity of arsenical insecticides 
to insure the protection of crops to the greatest extent possible, and it 
resulted that, although the amount of arsenic available was really 
insufficient to meet normal demands, yet by conservative use end 
better distribution the requirements of the farmers, fruitgrowers, 
gardeners, and others were met. 
There might be mentioned also another side activity entirely due 
to war conditions. The extensive use of castor oil in airplane work 
made it necessary to grow the castor bean plant in great acreage in 
this country, since practically none was to be had elsewhere, the 
large Mexican crop having been bought up and sent to Spain, prob- 
ably to secret German bases. Therefore, under Government con- 
tract, thousands of acres of this crop were planted in Florida and 
elsewhere. Now, although the castor-bean plant had not hitherto 
been known to be subject to serious insect attack, the planting of 
these large areas was immediately followed by the increase of cer- 
tain injurious insects and by serious damage to the growing plants 
by the southern army worm and other species. Entomologists were 
at once called in, and through rapid and able work much of the 
threatened damage was prevented. 
In the meantime the entomologists were able to be of service to 
the country, and especially to the military forces, in other ways. 
The damage to stored grain and to grain in shipment, which has 
been previously referred to, soon came to the front. Enormous quan- 
tities of grain and other materials were accumulated at the port of 
New York for shipment to Europe. The immense warehouses at 
the Bush Terminal in Brooklyn were centers of accumulation of 
such material. The Bureau of Entomology was called upon for 
advice by the War Department, and a laboratory was stationed at 
this terminal, where men experienced in the study of insect pests 
of this character were stationed, where competent inspection was 
made, and where arrangements were made for the proper fumiga- 
tion or other treatment of stored products found to be infested with 
insects. 
In addition to this work at the Bush Terminal in Brooklyn, ex- 
perts on the Pacific coast and in the South were engaged in the 
inspection of many warehouses and mills where food supplies were 
stored, and throughout the entire period large supplies of food that 
were being seriously affected by insects were located. The owners 
of such supplies were advised of the necessity of prompt action in 
