11 



results may 1)6 due in soine cases to a diffeience in the breeding or 

 experiment jars, and 1 have known outdoor results to (;oir»r;idiet abso- 

 lutely those obtained in the laboratory, not only in the failure of a 

 laboratory success, but in the success of a laboratory failure. 1 think 

 we might easily agree upon some uuiform way of testing Insecticides 

 aud the character of the checks to be employed, i)articularl3^ for contact 

 poisons, which in my experience are most likely to disapiDoint us in 

 their action under varying conditions. It would at least be a step 

 in the direction of uniformity in experimentation and therefore toward 

 cooperation, the only one perhaps that is possible at this time — if, 

 indeed, we can agree even so far. 



Very recently a practical eftbrt in the way of collating information 

 from all the stations has been made by Mr. Howard, entomologist to 

 the United States Department of Agriculture, in an endeavor to fix 

 more exactly the geographical distribution of a number of the inju- 

 rious species. What his success lias been I do not know, but in some 

 such direction as that cooperation may certainly become a fact without 

 infringing upon individual fields of work. 



There is one other point which has not, I believe, been previously dis- 

 cussed at any length — the interchangeof specimens of injurious insects 

 and their work. Of course we all try to so describe and figure the 

 pests we study and their injuries that no one can possibly mistake 

 them, and yet, speaking for myself alone, it does happen now and 

 then that the nature of an attack or of an insect sent in is not at once 

 recognized, even if it prove afterwards to be one described at length in 

 another State. Thus I failed to re;'ognize the San Jose scale when 

 first I saw it, nearly two years before it was brought to Dr. Riley's 

 attention. If, however, the members of this association could agree to 

 send to each of their fellow-members, as far as possible, si)ecimens of 

 the injurious insects originally studied by them and their work, this 

 would make matters easier for all, and might ])revent blunders in 

 some cases. Of course there are limitations here, and in some cases 

 the material may not be sufficient and a selection must be made among 

 correspondents. As no one can possibly feel hurt if I call attention 

 only to my doings, good and bad, I may say that I have acted n\) to 

 this idea in sending samples of the work of the sinuate pear borer, for 

 information, to the United States National Museum, the United States 

 Department of Agriculture, the State entomologist of New York, and 

 the Cornell Experiment Station. I will be pleased to send also to 

 anyone else who desires si)ecimens of injury caused. I>eetles are yet 

 too scarce to be distributed except to specialists. 



Digressions are always allowable in an address of this kind, and 1 

 want to make a plea here for a central collection of economic entomol- 

 ogy. Either the United States Department of Agriculture, or, perhaps 

 better, the Ignited States National ^Euseum, should receive from ento- 

 mologists all over the country nuiterial for the formation of a biological 



