79 



Mr. Siiiitli said he was interested in the estimate of injury given by 

 iMr. Plopkins, but was inclined to believe that it had been too strongly 

 (linwn, because slight and comparatively insignificant cases had been 

 included in the estimates. 



Mr. Webster read the following paper: 



THE IMPORTATION AND REPRESSION OF DESTRUCTIVE INSECTS. 



By F. M. Webster, Jl'ooster, Ohio. 



In the year 1795 my topic would have sounded remarkably visionary 

 and illogical; not that it was not known that destructive insects were 

 being brought into this country from England and P^urope, but that 

 there should be any united action to prevent such importations, or to 

 suppress them after being introduced, would have sounded unreason- 

 able and impractical. But, come to think of it, can we name a single 

 imported insect that has been repressed, or, in fact, has been seriously 

 impeded in its diffusion over the country, by any systematic obstacles 

 placed in its way by the action of man? Is it not nearer the truth to 

 say that we have, as a ])eople, assisted this sort of immigrants, both in 

 reaching this country and in getting inland as fast as possible after 

 they had landed? Our entomologists have increased in numbers 

 and efficiency to deal with these pests, but I do not know of a single 

 one that we have prevented from coming to this country or stamped 

 out after it had reached here.* That we have and are saving the 

 country millions of dollars annually by our advice and experiments I 

 freely admit, but that is only a temporary relief, and by no means a 

 protection against future depredations and losses. Now, there must be 

 scmiething the matter somewhere, and if not with the entomologists, 

 as I feel that it certainly is not, then wherein lies the obstacle? Ento- 

 mologists do not make the laws, nor are we always able to get those 

 properly enforced that we do have; but that does not settle the problem. 

 Eor my own part, I have very little faith in State laws, even if they 

 could be enacted, and have often asked myself the question whether or 

 not it was possible for a republican government, composed of minor 

 governments, possibly, as in our case, numbering nearly- half a huiulred, 

 to protect its people from the immense losses occasioned yearly by 

 destructive insects whose place of nativity is known to be thonsands 

 of miles away and across wide stretches of ocean which they could 

 never have crossed unaided. 



At i^resent we seem unable to deal with the problem intelligently 

 and practically, even within our own borders. We can not, as a people, 

 protect ourselves from each other, nuich less from countries who very 

 naturally have less regard for us than we have for ourselves. It was 

 with such feelings that I watched the dilfusiim of the San Jose scale. 



* See appeuded note at the end ol" this paper. 



