December 6, 1907] 



SCIENCE 



785 



portant practical bearing upon the use of 

 parasites. 



Other work in economic entomology is 

 carried on in France under the govern- 

 ment at several points. Professor Valery 

 Mayet at the National Agricultural School 

 at Montpellier still teaches economic ento- 

 mology, and continues his experimental 

 work. Here, however, is the same old 

 story; insufficient laboratory space, and 

 not even a single assistant ; half of the time 

 of one assistant only. 



At Rennes Professor C. Houlbert also 

 teaches economic entomology in connection 

 with his work at the University at Rennes. 

 At Rouen Professor Paul Noel is chief of a 

 small station for economic entomology, 

 supported in part by the government, and 

 in part by the department. Here he con- 

 ducts investigations of the insects of that 

 region, has built up a large collection, and 

 is the consulting entomologist for the agri- 

 culturists of his department. 



In her north African colonies France has 

 met with a serious problem in the invasion 

 of locusts and crickets from the south, and 

 has conducted for a number of years an ex- 

 tensive investigation that has culminated 

 in the publication of an enormous volume 

 of the greatest interest, prepared under the 

 direction of the director of the work. Pro- 

 fessor J. Kiinckel d'Herculais. 



THE NETHERLANDS 



Professor J. Ritzema Bos is still the eco- 

 nomic entomologist of Holland. Down to 

 1906 he conducted a phyto-pathological 

 laboratory in Amsterdam ; this was a pri- 

 vate institution, but had received grants 

 from the treasury, and really constituted 

 the governmental service in this direction 

 for the Netherlands. In 1902 the speaker 

 visited this laboratory, and found it well 

 located, with interesting collections. In 

 1906, however, the government opened an 

 institution for phyto-pathology in connec- 



tion with the agricultural college at 

 Wageningen. The old laboratory in Am- 

 sterdam still exists as a small private insti- 

 tution. The work of the new institution 

 is in the hands of the director, who has one 

 assistant, one temporary assistant, an 

 amanuensis and a laborer. Their work 

 covers every part of phyto-pathology, as 

 well in entomology as in mycology, in rela- 

 tion to agriculture, horticulture and silvi- 

 culture ; and under this office is done the 

 inspection work of the government. 



In her East Indian colonies the Nether- 

 landish government has done some very 

 good work in economic entomology in the 

 investigation of the insects injurious to 

 sugar cane ; the insect enemies and diseases 

 of this important crop in Java have been 

 studied with care at the Dutch experiment 

 stations, and excellent reports have been 

 published. 



NORWAY AND SWEDEN 



In these two countries the conditions 

 have not changed, and the work goes on 

 about as described in 1894. 



BELGIUM 



Belgium has long been the home of 

 many well-known entomologists, and in the 

 publications of the Entomological Society 

 of Belgium are to be found many papers 

 of interest from the standpoint of economic 

 entomology. The administration and the 

 Superior Council of the Forests of Belgium 

 have been occupied for a number of years 

 with a condition involving an unusual de- 

 velopment of insects injurious to wooded 

 properties and domains, and Professor G. 

 Severin, curator of the Royal Natural His- 

 tory Museum of Brussels, has been offi- 

 cially charged by the Belgian government 

 to study this especial situation in order to 

 propose remedies. Professor Severin is a 

 man of great acquirements in natural his- 

 tory in general, as well as a trained ento- 



