REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR I917 2/ 



State Museum, which is itself a subsidiary of The University of 

 the State of New York, and the work of the State Entomologist is 

 to conduct researches upon insect habits and insect control and to 

 make recommendations as to procedures in insect control though 

 he is without statutory power to enforce his recommendations. The 

 Department of Farms and Markets maintains, also, entomologists 

 whose business it is to inspect nursery stock, orchards etc., for insect 

 pests and to enforce against these the protective laws which the State 

 has enacted. The latter is police work carried out under mandatory 

 statutes. This is a philosophical and sound division ; that is to say, 

 the work of the State Entomologist is distinctively a university 

 function and is therefore appropriately attached to The University 

 of the State of New York, while the work of the entomological 

 inspectors is not of this character. This difference is recognized in 

 the case of one or two other officials, where the application of the 

 control required by the statute is left to one department but the 

 necessary research and investigation in that field is regarded as an 

 appropriate part of the university machinery. 



It is not likely that any scientific problem specially applicable to 

 the interests of the State could arise, for which the present State 

 machinery has not already made provision. The State, therefore, 

 is admirably protected in this regard and this fact has come into the 

 foreground in the present war crisis when every state community 

 has been called upon to develop to the utmost its supplies of natural 

 resources of every description, direct and indirect. Many of the 

 states have organized special scientific research committees in con- 

 nection with their state defense councils. New York has not done 

 this because its present organization seems to cover the entire 

 field. One exception may be made; we have no state weather 

 service. Perhaps this is to be regretted. Certainly the farmers 

 of the State do not carry on their agricultural operations with any 

 large degree of reliance upon the reports distributed to them 

 from the federal service, and New York might therefore well 

 consider the propriety of supplying the agricultural interests with 

 more definite information regarding probable and impending local 

 weather conditions which it could readily acquire by the estab- 

 lishment of a sufficient number of observation stations, doing their 

 work under proper supervision and interpretation. 



The following list may be incomplete in some particulars, but it is 

 sufficiently comprehensive as it stands to excite interest and give 

 a reasonable feeling of pride in the efficiency of this phase of the 

 State's business, 



