22 
experience with economic problems in the field, and the practical 
results gained with hydrocyanic acid gas; and his observations on the 
work of the gipsy-moth committee in Massachusetts, all confirmed his 
belief in the good results of the strictest quarantine, local inspection, 
and concerted action on the part of growers; also the utility of men 
trained in the field rather, than in the office for handling economic 
problems. He insisted on the absolute certainty of the gas method for 
controlling dangerous injurious insects in orchards and nurseries, espe- 
cially the latter. He felt that the sentiment permeating the paper 
could be used by so-called legislative reformers to prevent State or 
national legislation. While he understood and appreciated portions ot 
the paper, he felt certain that it would tend to discourage economic 
workers, and that the general distribution of the paper would lead 
thousands of farmers to fold their arms and await a harmonious and 
perfect balance of nature, ignoring and ridiculing the suggestions of 
economic workers. 
Mr. Felt said that while agreeing in the main with the opinions 
expressed in this admirable address, the liability of. misinterpretation 
by careless readers led him to state that this Association could not go 
back, even by implication, on well-directed efforts to exclude or exter- 
minate certain notorious insect pests. The present laws of New York 
are doing much to prevent the spread of scale insects. 
Mr. Marlatt, in closing the discussion, said it was easy to be led by 
side trains of thought away from the real subject of debate. Much of 
the criticism by the preceding speakers illustrated this statement. In 
view of this misunderstanding he thought it well to recall the object 
and purport of the address as explained at the outset, namely, to make 
a plea, as a solution of the insect problem, for the laisser-faire policy in 
such large matters of continental or world concern as seemed to him to 
be beyond practicable reach by human agencies, and to counsel active 
efforts at control and prevention in such smaller and more local fields 
as promised adequate results; in other words, to attempt to separate 
the work in applied entomology that is deemed practicable and profit- 
able from work that is deemed impracticable and unprofitable, and so 
benefit the former by preventing needless waste of effort. He said that 
a misunderstanding was evident in the minds of several as to his, the 
speaker’s, attitude toward inspection and quarantine, but he felt sure 
that an examination of the portions of the address relating to this sub- 
ject would indicate that legitimate quarantine to check or limit as far 
as practicable the transmission of notoriously infested stock was dis- 
tinctly included in the field of useful effort. 
Considering the paper as a whole, he said that a broad view had been 
taken of the interrelations of insects and plants, and the general bal- 
ance of nature in this regard had been pointed out, not as an excuse 
for the neglect of any feasible work, but to prevent the rousing and 
promulgation of unnecessary and hurtful fears. An attempt had been 
