EE 
‘sary, and therefore must be acquired. <A certain knowledge of botany 
is most important and will be constantly giving advantages to the one 
'who possesses it over those who do not. 
_ With regard to the presentation of the results of our labors for the 
use of others, one thing which should be avoided as much as possible is 
the recommendation of remedies which we have not actually tested our- 
selves. There areso many useless and untrustworthy remedies now pub- 
lished, particularly through newspapers, that great caution is necessary. 
Different conditions sometimes require differing remedies, according to 
circumstances ; but I think that the best and fewest possible remedies 
should be given for any insect treated of, so as to simplify the applica- 
‘tion aS muchas can be done. There is no doubt that the most valuable 
remedies are those which are simplest. As the late Mr. Frazer Craw- 
ford, of South Australia, has well said,a remedy must be (1) effective, 
‘so as to attain the object aimed at; (2) imerpensive, so as to be practi- 
cal—worth the trouble and expense of application; (3) simple, so as to 
avoid as far as possible ali chance of mistakes in applying it. 
_ At the last meeting of the association, in Champaign, Ili., [ had the 
honor of a conversation with Assistant Secretary, the Hon. Edwin Wil- 
lits, and he mentioned that he was frequently asked for information as 
to the advisability of large expenditures for entomological purposes, 
and that although entomologists frequently spoke of the large losses 
from insects, we did not provide politicians—and particularly himself— 
with data by which they could explain and justify these expenditures, 
which those who understood them knew to be of-such enormous impor- 
tance, and when we wished to point out the great injuries done by in- 
sects we had to go back continuously to old published records which °* 
we had all been quoting for upwards of 10 or 20 years. Now we find 
upon investigation that accurate estimates of damage done by insects 
are exceedingly difficult to arrive at, and the figures are so large that 
we are rather afraid to quote them ourselves lest we should prevent 
rather than encourage investigation, and it has been the custom of 
entomologists to minimize the estimates for fear they should not be 
believed. Now the necessity has arisen, I think, and I lay it before the 
association for action, in the direction of gathering together some relia- 
ble recent statistics in a short form which may be printed for distribu- 
tion, and which will cover the more important injuries to date, and the 
part the work of the entomologist has played in reducing injury or 
preventing loss, so that we may overcome this difficulty and provide 
legislators and ourselves with data with which to meet this argument. 
After a careful examination and ereat effort to obtain data I have found 
that there are certain of these large estimates which appear fo be relia- 
ble. I think better results will follow the publication of a few quite 
reliable statistics, which may be taken as typical instances, than by 
accumulating a large number of items which would increase the chance 
of error and might not be read so carefully. By way of example I 
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