ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY UNDER THE ADAMS ACT. 79 



research are possibly somewhat indefinite. The dictionaries define 



research as "continued and diligent investigation ; studious and labo- 

 rious inquiry; systematic scientific investigation." (Standard Dic- 

 tionary.) Hitherto a large part of our work as station entomologists 

 has been in the nature of miscellaneous observations upon various 



insects demanding our attention, often involving considerable study: 

 but how often has our work upon them reached the position where it 

 might properly be called research in the true sense? It is obvious 

 that for the best development of our science research is greatly 

 needed at the present time, and we therefore welcome this increased 

 appropriation with its restrictions to such use. 



In considering the branches of economic entomology which will 

 furnish a field for such " diligent investigation " we may study 

 individual insects, groups of insects, or general principles governing 

 insect life and control. 



In the past our work has necessarily been largely a study of in- 

 dividuals, more especially as regards their life histories. In this 

 work marked advance has been made in the past few years. We 

 have come to see that if an insect is of sufficient economic importance 

 to warrant investigation, the study must cover all phases of the 

 insect's ethology and the testing of all possible means of control. 

 For example, consider the work of Hunter and Hinds on the boll 

 weevil. Quaintance's investigation of the bollworm. Doctor Forbes's 

 studies of the corn root-aphis. Professor Crandall's work on the life 

 history of the plum curculio. and some of the investigations of the 

 codling moth. These studies must always remain classic in tli<> 

 annals of economic entomology from the fact that they have raised 

 a new standard for work upon such insects of primary economic 

 importance. The study of an individual insect, therefore, furnishes 

 a worthy object for research, but the work must be exhaustive. A 

 mere breeding of a dozen specimens in an insectary. testing a remedy 

 which seems to be satisfactory, and the publishing of a bulletin out- 

 lining the supposed facts, is not research. It may be that such work 

 is all that the economic importance of an insect pest warrant- in many 

 instances, but it is hardly research in the true sense. Whether the 

 insect warrants true research work upon it will depend largely upon 

 its economic importance. Thus the rusty tussock moth (Notolophus 

 antiqua L.) is hardly of sufficient importance to warrant any lengthy 

 study, while its brother, the white-marked tussock moth {Hen 

 cam pa leucostigma S. & A.), might well receive the most careful re- 

 search. In some instances, however, an insect may be peculiarly 

 adapted to some research work in an effort to establish certain 

 principles of insect life: but in such a case it is merely a means 

 to an end and is not in itself the object of study. The larger part o\' 

 our life-history studies and observations can therefore hardly come 



