REPORT OF STATE ENTOMOLOGIST, 1898 155 



time when field work could most profitably be undertaken, original 

 investigation was necessarily somewhat limited. 



Office work. The routine ofhce work of the division during the past 

 summer has been heavier than at any time since my connection with the 

 office. Without attempting any radical innovations, it has been my aim 

 to render services of the greatest practical value to the public. The 

 numerous calls for information from all quarters indicate that my efforts 

 have been greatly appreciated. The demand for press notices, mainly 

 agricultural, has been greater than that recorded any previous year. 

 Abstracts of my principal publications, 72 in number, are given in a sub- 

 sequent portion of this report. The presentation in agricultural and 

 other journals of reliable information regarding insects should be encour- 

 aged, as it brings the recommendations before farmers and others at a 

 time when they are of the greatest value, which is not always true of bul- 

 letins and reports. Considerable attention has been paid to this branch of 

 the work with m^ost gratifying results. A large portion of these notices have 

 appeared in the Country gentleman^ one of the best agricultural weeklies, 

 but in no case has preference been shown to any paper. Every request 

 for information has received due attention. The correspondence has 

 been unusually heavy. The number of letters received since January i 

 is 748^, and the number written is 1199. Most of the queries resulted 

 from a general desire for information, though some were due to exces- 

 sive ravages by tent caterpillars and other insects. 



The work of the division has been greatly faciHtated by the assign- 

 ment to it of a junior clerk. Miss M. I. Bull, whose services, though she 

 had no previous entomologic training, have been a great aid, relieving 

 me of considerable clerical work and thus allowing time for more import- 

 ant duties. The purchase of a good field camera constitutes a valuable 

 addition to the equipment of the office. 



Collection of insects. The state collection of insects remains prac- 

 tically as it was at the beginning of the year, with additions as given later 

 in this report. The pressing duties of the office during the past few years 

 have prevented much desirable work being done on the collection. 

 Since my connection with the University, a number of new boxes have 

 been bought, most of the insects referred to their various families, and in 

 a few instances, those of a family have received their generic and specific 

 labels. A beginning has also been made on a biologic collection, some- 

 thing the late Dr Lintner had been laboring to bring about for years. 



a The death of Dr Lintner at the time the 12th report was issued, deterred many from 

 acknowledging its receipt, thus reducing the number of letters received. The cards accompanying 

 the reports were counted, as previously, hence the discrepancy between the letters received and 

 written. 



