78 ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGISTS. 



research within the intent of the law, the Director of the Office of 

 Experiment Stations has consulted with the various station directors 

 and workers, and at the recent meeting of the Association of Agri- 

 cultural- Colleges and Experiment Stations the discussion of this 

 question was one of the leading features. The main question is, 

 " What is ' original research * * * bearing directly on the agri- 

 cultural industry?' ' In general, the principles which should govern 

 the problems for such research seem to have been satisfactorily defined 

 for all parties concerned, but in outlining his own work under this 

 act the writer has felt that some discussion as to just what lines of 

 work are most needed or most desirable in economic entomology might 

 not be amiss at the present time. 



The term " economic entomology " seems to be one of those which 

 has come into common usage but which has not been carefully defined. 

 In a somewhat careful search of the dictionaries and the proceed- 

 ings of this association no definition of the term has been found. 

 Might we not describe it as the science of entomology as applied or 

 related to human welfare? It is therefore narrower in its scope than 

 the general ethology of insect life, though it usually includes the 

 ethology of all forms of economic importance. For a general dis- 

 cussion of the objects and field of the economic entomologist I have 

 seen nothing better than the remarks of Dr. S. A. Forbes, quoted by 

 Dr. J. W. Folsom in his recent Entomology." After reviewing with 

 him the diverse sciences and arts with which the economic entomolo- 

 gist must deal, we might fairly question whether economic ento- 

 mology is truly a science of itself or whether as economic entomolo- 

 gists, as Ave style ourselves, we are not really artisans applying the 

 laws and knowledge gained from the true sciences. In airy event, the 

 science is a young one and a little definition of its objects and scope 

 will not be out of place. 



Economic entomology would therefore include the subjects of the 

 relation of insects to human health, household insects, etc., while the 

 Adams Act restricts us to work upon subjects related to agriculture. 

 The economic study of mosquitoes is therefore not permissible under 

 its terms. In general, our work will doubtless be restricted to work 

 upon insects injurious to agriculture, for, although apiculture and 

 sericulture are undoubtedly worthy objects for research by the eco- 

 nomic entomologist, yet they have become so specialized that but 

 few of us pretend having any practical knowledge of them such as 

 would qualify for research. 



Many of us have doubtless been surprised to find that, though 

 constantly dealing with the term, our ideas of the true meaning of 



a Entomology, with special reference to its biological and economic aspects. 

 By Justus Watson Folsom. Philadelphia, 1906. 



