REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



13 



carried on not only at the Department, but in several different parts of 

 the country by special agents, and notably in California, Nebraska, 

 Indiana, New York, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine. Im- 

 portant discoveries have been made as to the insect destruction of 

 forest trees in Maine, the enemies of the cranberry and bop crops, 

 those affecting wheat and small grains in the West, and those affecting 

 the orange and other fruit trees. These will be found recorded in the 

 report of the Entomologist. Two special bulletins, containing some of 

 the more practical results of these investigations, have been published 

 during the year, and the fact that the chief remedies and insecticide ap- 

 pliances now quite generally employed with satisfaction, and constantly 

 discussed and recommended in the agricultural press, have originated 

 during my administration of the Department very well illustrates the 

 original and useful character of the work emanating from this Bureau. 

 While much knowledge of a purely scientific character is naturally ac- 

 quired, I feel that the chief end of the Bureau should be to teach the 

 farmer to save as much as possible of the loss which he often sustains 

 from insect injury. The present Entomologist fully appreciates this 

 position, and has eliminated, as far as possible, such technical descrip- 

 tions as would not be appreciated by the mass of intelligent farmers. 



During the year various questions relating to the Phylloxera have 

 been referred to the Department through the Secretary of State, ques- 

 tions that have chiefly grown out of the treaty of Berne, which has 

 caused much unnecessary delay and loss to both importers and exporters 

 of nursery stock, for it has been shown that there is no good reason for 

 detaining such stock at the port of New York when destined for any 

 part of the country east of the Rocky Mountains. The use of kerosene 

 emulsion as a remedy for this underground vine pest, proposed by the 

 Entomologist a year ago, after due experiment, has attracted much at- 

 tention, and, upon invitation of the French minister of agriculture, I 

 sent Professor Riley to Europe during the summer to demonstrate his 

 proposed methods of dealing with the insect, and to learn what he could 

 that would be of benefit to our people, as to the present status of the 

 American vines in France, and of the Phylloxera question in general. 

 He also studied certain practical features of silk culture upon which 

 we needed more exact knowledge, and visited the International Forestry 

 Exhibition at Edinburg. It is pleasant to know that while much in- 

 formation that will be useful to us has thus been obtained, the benefit 

 has been mutual, to judge by the appreciative manner in which the 

 recommendations of the Entomologist were received, and the honor con- 

 ferred on him as a delegate from the Department. In advanced agri- 

 culture all civilized nations have to-day so many interests in common 

 that increasing reciprocal relations become necessary. 



The Bureau has continued its labors for the promotion of silk culture 

 in the United States during the past year, and has been greatly aided 

 by the sum of $15,000 appropriated at the last session of Congress for 



