240 The Insects of the Past Tear and Progress in Insect Studies. 



not easy to find a single living scale. The, perhaps, most pernicious 

 scale-insect ever known to science, has been conquered, and .seems 

 doomed to a speedy extermination. The California fruit-growers are 

 jubilant over the success of the first experiment of fighting an intro- 

 duced pest by the importation of its natural enemies — often prop^u! 

 but never before accomplished. 



Considerable attention has been given by Professor Forbes and 

 others to the contagious diseases of insects, to which some of our 

 insect enemies have shown themselves to be quite liable. They have 

 at times assumed an epidemic character, and have thereby proved 

 highly beneficial in arresting serious and »i iespread ravages. It has 

 been hoped that much might be accomplished by the distribution of 

 insects infested with contagious disease to uninfested localities, and 

 thus rapidly and greatly extend its sphere of operations. Experi- 

 ments of this nature have been made the past year in Minnesota 

 and in Kansas to utilize a fungus disease with which the chinch-bug 

 has been recently attacked in some of the Western States. In Kansas, 

 numbers of the" diseased bugs were collected which, being confined 

 with apparently healthy ones, readily communicated their malady to 

 them. When a sufficient quantity were obtained in this manner, dis- 

 tribution was made of them at various points along the railroads of 

 the State and other principal lines of travel. It is claimed that in 

 almost every one of these localities the disease subsequently made its 

 appearance, and it is believed that it was conveyed and quite largely 

 extended through this distribution. 



Lest I should weary you with details that may not be of general 

 interest, I will not extend them, trusting that what I have already 

 presented will suffice to show that economic entomology is not only a 

 live science, but that it has attained a vigorous manhood, in which it 

 is prepared to do its full share in the extension and promotion of the 

 first and foremost of the great industries of our country — the 

 agricultural. 



