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culture which have been introduced. The plum curculio, it is true, is 
a native, and so is the apple maggot, or railroad worm. But the Cod- 
ling moth is European, the principal currant worm is European, the 
grape-berry moth originally inhabited the Mediterranean regions, and 
a number of others have been introduced from different parts of the 
world. Our danger is by no means past; fresh introductions are 
comiDg all the time. Many of these are for a time limited in their 
distribution, but all are capable of spreading throughout a large por- 
tion of the country. The European gypsy moth, one of the most 
ravenous defoliators of fruit and shade trees known to entomologists, 
has for the last ten years made itself so conspicuous in parts of Massa- 
chusetts that the State government has expended over $300,000 in 
attempting to stamp it out. The European leopard moth, now confined 
to the immediate vicinity of New York City, is an insect which, in the 
larval state, bores into the twigs of many trees, including fruit trees, 
and threatens to spread and do great damage. A new pear borer, 
imported in nursery stock from Europe, has begun to spread in the 
State of New Jersey, and this is one of the most serious enemies to an 
important crop which is known to us. It is capable of killing a vigorous 
pear tree outright in two seasons. 
The injurious insects of Europe are well known, and we are familiar 
with the species which are liable to be imported. Of the injurious 
insects of other foreign countries with which the United States is in 
active commercial relations, we are, however, in comparative ignorance. 
In many of them scientific research is comparatively at a standstill, 
and the ascertaining of the proper information is difficult. My prede- 
cessor, Professor Riley, made an effort to learn something of the 
injurious insects of Japan through the temporary appointment of a 
special agent in that country, and I have recently made a similar effort 
to learn something of the injurious insects of Mexico, anticipating that 
the new activity in railroad building from the United States into this 
country can not but result in the eventual carrying of new injurious 
insects across our borders. The latter investigation was started none 
too soon, since already a most serious enemy to the cotton crop has 
crossed from Mexico to Texas and threatens great damage. 
But it is not alone against foreign countries that we must be on our 
guard ; interstate commerce is distributing injurious insects as well. 
The sudden appearance of the San Jose scale in the East, just men- 
tioned, is a case in point. The harlequin cabbage-bug is steadily 
advancing from the South. The potato-tuber moth bids fair to continue 
its eastward progress from Colorado, into which State it has been 
brought from California. The sweet-potato root-borer is working up 
through our southern states from Florida and Texas. The clover root- 
borer and the clover-leaf weevil are working westward through Indi- 
ana and Michigan. The hop plant-louse and the pear blister- mite, well 
known eastern insects, have recently made their first appearance on 
