122 THE REPORT OF THE 



For myself, not being an agriculturist, I must confess that ray interests lie more on 

 the purely sci» ntitic side of the subject, but doubtless you are more interested in the 

 practical side of the matter and desire to know how best to fight the insects which axe 

 always attacking your crops. 



The first suggestion that I would make is that you should join the Entomological 

 Society of Ontario as a branch, as the benefits to be derived from such union are very 

 great as I think I can show you. 



Membership in the Society only involves an annual subscription of one dollar per 

 member, half of which sum is retained by the Branch for its own expenses, while the 

 other half is transmitted to the head office at London, Ont. This, surely, is a very 

 moderate subscription when the benefits received are considered, and I would now invite 

 your consideration to those benefits. In the first place each member of the Branch 

 becomes a full member of the Society with all the rights and privileges. Each member 

 receives regularly the monthly journal of the Society, the Canadian Entomologist, 

 which, though a highly scientific magazine, always contains something of interest even to 

 the tyro. Each member also receives the Annual Report of the Society, and this will 

 probably be the most important consideration to the majority of the members, especially 

 as the value of this privilege has been greatly enhanced of recent years as Prof. James, 

 the Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Ontario, has adopied the practice of sending to 

 all members who are not in arrears a bound volume containing not only the Annual 

 Report of the Entomological Society but also the Annual Report of the Fruit Growers' 

 Association of Ontario and the Annual Report of the Fruit Experiment Stations of 

 Ontario. The volume for 1898 recently distributed contained altogether 403 pages 

 fully illustrated and of great interest and value to agriculturists and fruit growers. 



And while the advantages of belonging to the larger society are so great there are 

 no disadvantages. The North West Branch would be still as free as it is now to manage 

 its own affairs, and would have the advantage of all this valuable and popular agricul- 

 tural and scientific literature, and if this suggestion were adopted the membership of the 

 Branch could be divided into honorary and regular. 



As every year Dr. James Fletcher, the Entomologist and Botanist of the Experi- 

 mental Farms, makes a trip through the Northwest Territories, I would suggest that if 

 possible the Society should receive from him an annual lecture under the auspices of the 

 Society. 



One other suggestion that I should make is that those who make collections of 

 insects or plants should be most particular in labeling them with the exact locality where 

 obtained and date of capture or of blooming, as the case may be, and that those who do 

 not regularly collect specimens should at least preserve specimens of those which are 

 found troublesome, in order that they may be correctly determined, and also that they 

 may be able to compare them with other and similar insects, so many species being easily 

 confused with other forms, and that all observations of interest be invariably entered at 

 the time in a note book, it not being safe to trust even to the best memory in such cases. 



In regard to Botany I should say that this science is so closely connected with 

 Entomology that every entomologist should be also a botanist, and every botanist might 

 well be an entomologist also. The flowers of the North West are so beautiful that I 

 should think that everyone must be charmed by them. 



I had the pleasure of making a trip across the continent in 1890 and was simply 

 delighted by the beauty of the wild flowers of the prairies. Though travelling rapidly, 

 only stopping a day or two at a few of the principal points, I yet succeeded in making a 

 very respectable collection of both the plants and butterflies of the region traversed, 

 jumping off the train to gather plants at almost every stopping place along the line dur- 

 ing the day time. 



I regret that I am unable to meet vith you at this the first annual meeting of the 

 Society, but hope that you will have a very successful meeting, and if any of my sug- 

 gestions are deemed worthy of adoption I shall be very glad. 



With all good wishes I am, 



faithfully yours, 



Henry H. Lyman. 



