80 



even after it liad been located. Here was a simple problem iu national 

 economic entomology, and tbe qnestion appeared to me to be composed 

 of two x)ropositioDS, viz, Conld we do aiiytbiiig witb it ? and if so, what 

 wonld be the importance of the entomologist in the transaction! We 

 have been steadily gaining strength dnring the last quarter of a cen- 

 tury, and I was just a little desirous of seeing how i)owerful we were 

 getting to be, how much we could do to stop the spread of tliis pest, 

 as well as to effect its extermination where it had alreadj^ gained a foot- 

 hold. True, we had no laws to sustain us; but if we could but show 

 the necessity for them we would have accomplished much, for, while the 

 San Jose scale is the latest importation, it by no means follows that it 

 will be the last. It is all right to study the biology of the insect, and 

 this is really the first step to be taken; but the duty of the economic 

 entomologist does not stop there by any means. The man who has 

 been unfortunate enough to get the thing in his orchard wants to know 

 all he can learn about it, but the one who is free of it would vastly more 

 like to know how to keep free of it. Some of you are aware that I 

 am not in the least iu sympathy with the manner in which we have 

 been dealing with this i^est, or rather with those who have knowingly 

 carelessly harbored it. I do not say this with a spirit of fiiult-fiuding 

 or criticism, but rather with the idea of imi)roving upon the policy. I 

 fully submit that it is not right to knowingly wreck the business of any 

 nurseryman who is willing to do everything in his power to prevent 

 distributing such a pest with his stock; but it seems to me that we 

 commit even a greater mistake and do a more unjust act when we say 

 that such a pest is in a certain locality, thereby throwing the onus on 

 both the innocent and the guilty. This appears to me to be the very 

 worst sort of an injustice and places a premium on dishonesty. We 

 should either give the name of the proprietor or else make no public 

 statement whatever, giving him notice that any attempt to send out 

 infested trees or plants will result in a prompt exi>osure and i)ublic 

 condemnation. 



If I were to say that a member of this association was a murderer, 

 it would reflect on the honor of all of us, and would serve to protect 

 the guilty one from justice, provided there were such a one among us. 

 Hereafter when we have to quarantine, let it be against individuals or 

 firms and not against States or portions of States in which the inno- 

 cent outnumber the guilty. We must use harsh and severe measures 

 where such are necessary in order to be just to the deserving, but we 

 have no right to make these deserving ones a partner in dishonesty 

 with the unworthy and disreputable. To do this is but to i)lace our- 

 selves in a position where we are sure to be imposed upon by the latter 

 and secure the merited distrust of the former. The peoi^le are coming 

 to place some of their interests in our keeping, and if we would hold 

 on to that confidence we must deal justly but firmly with those who 

 threaten such interests, with the sole aim of profiting thereby. Even 



