780 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 675 



CANADA 



Dr. James Fletcher, in 1894 holding the 

 position of entomologist and botanist to the 

 Dominion Experimental Farms system of 

 Canada, with headquarters at Ottawa, still 

 retains the same position. At that time he 

 worked alone. Since then he has been 

 given two assistants. He publishes annu- 

 ally a report, which has constantly im- 

 proved in character. The agriculture of 

 Canada has developed enormously in the 

 intervening thirteen years. The country 

 has become richer, and more funds have 

 been devoted to the Experimental Farms 

 System. The amount that has been de- 

 voted to work in economic entomology has 

 been by no means commensurate with the 

 demands of the situation. As was the case 

 in 1894, Canada is little behind the United 

 States in her knowledge of and application 

 of methods in economic entomology, but 

 this is due largely to the fact of Dr. 

 Fletcher's energy, broad grasp of the sub- 

 ject and indefatigability as a writer and 

 public speaker. It is in this way that 

 Canada, in which the agricultural condi- 

 tions are quite similar to the northern por- 

 tion of the United States, has been able to 

 adopt and assimilate American methods 

 and keep herself abreast of the times. Her 

 problems in economic entomology, however, 

 deserve a better support from the govern- 

 ment than they have received. Dr. 

 Fletcher should have opportunities for re- 

 search work. He is so well informed a 

 man, and so capable of handling problems, 

 given greater assistance and the proper 

 funds, that it is a pity that he has not re- 

 ceived a greater financial support from his 

 government. 



MEXICO 



No work in economic entomology was 

 done in Mexico down to the year 1900. 

 There was then founded a Commission of 

 Agricultural Parasitology, which included 

 work both with injurious insects and with 



plant diseases. It was placed in charge of 

 Professor A. L. Herrera, a trained man of 

 science, who has since remained its chief. 

 The peculiar conditions in Mexico have 

 caused the commission to be chiefly occu- 

 pied with the vulgarization of methods al- 

 ready known in order to combat agricul- 

 tural pests, and only recently has it been 

 occupied in perfecting these methods where 

 possible, having ended, to a certain extent, 

 its labor of propagandism. It would have 

 been illogical for the commission to have 

 been occupied with exact studies in ento- 

 mology and in investigations, while the 

 people of the country were ignorant of the 

 most common methods of defense, such as 

 the Bordeaux mixture, kerosene emulsion, 

 arsenical mixtures and so on. Professor 

 Herrera has had to deal with an unusual 

 class of people, and he has handled the 

 situation with great tact and efficiency. 

 He has published many papers of practical 

 value, and has succeeded in spreading ex- 

 act knowledge of remedies that has been of 

 great assistance to the growers of his 

 country. 



Nevertheless, entomological investigations 

 have been made when the necessity seemed 

 strong. The personnel of his force consists 

 of the chief, three traveling agents, a 

 traveling agent charged with vaccination 

 and the distribution of vaccine for domestic 

 animals, a curator of collections, a designer, 

 an entomological assistant, two bacteriolog- 

 ical assistants, two clerks and two boys. 

 The whole amount appropriated for all of 

 the expense of this work, including the 

 salaries, apparatus, etc., is $31,650.50 an- 

 nually. This amount is, of course, in Mex- 

 ican money, and while the Mexican dollar 

 has a relatively small value, it has in Mex- 

 ico a purchasing value equivalent to that 

 of the American dollar. Professor Her- 

 rera keeps in constant touch with the work 

 being done in economic entomology in other 

 parts of the world, and with his high intel- 



