THE DUTY OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 



By Herbert Osborn, Columbus, OTiio. 



When I learned some months ago that this society had honored me 

 with the presidency, there came to me, along with a sense of gratifica- 

 tion that so high an honor from a society whose history and mission is 

 so lofty, the sense of a difficult duty to perform. Our constitution 

 requires, and custom has established, that each presiding officer shall 

 present an address, and history has shown that each in his turn has 

 brought to us of his choicest treasure, and our records include a con- 

 tinual series of notable contributions. 



With such a duty in view, it was natural to cast about for some suit- 

 able theme, to try to marshal some group of topics that would be a 

 fitting basis for the address on this occasion. There came to my mind 

 then some features of our work and of our relation to the public that 

 seemed to offer suitable material, but hardly had this line of thought 

 presented itself than the appearance of the report of our previous 

 meeting and the reading of last year's address showed me that much 

 of what had occurred to me, and more that had not, was included in 

 the address of my predecessor. While a substantial proof of the pro- 

 priety of my line of thought, this naturally changed the situation for 

 me and necessitated a review of the entomological horizon. 



At our first annual meeting our lamented Eiley presented an exhaust- 

 ive discussion of the resources of entomology and the methods, equip- 

 ment, and policy involved in such work, a paper to be read by every 

 man aspiring to enter the profession. 



Kext, our genial Dr. Fletcher, from across the border, gave us a 

 magnificent survey of the economic results already achieved by the 

 studies in this science — a most convincing argument for the value of 

 economic entomology to mankind. At the succeeding meeting, pre- 

 sided over by Professor Lintner, this veteran in the ranks found him- 

 self unable, on account of ill health, to prepare the customary address j 

 in its stead we listened to a review of the work of the year from the 

 vice-president, Professor Forbes, and the succeeding year the same 

 gentleman, so long identified with the entomology of Illinois, brought 

 forward a critical survey of the entomological work of the year, with 

 much of suggestive value for future work. In 1894 Dr. Howard's 

 exhaustive survey of the official entomological work of the different 

 countries, showing the advanced position of American entomology, was 

 not only a source of national pride, but a means of stimulating more 

 effective work upon the part of all engaged in official entomological 

 investigation. The interesting survey of European entomological work 

 by Marchal, which supplements this in detail for the countries of 

 Europe, has particular interest for those who care to compare the ento- 

 mological work of the different parts of the world. 



Professor Smith's interesting discussion of measures in 1895 was fol- 

 lowed in 1890 by Professor Feruald's scholarly essay upon the evolution 



