COOPEEATION OF BUREAU AND STATION. 13 
this fund, on April 1 a corps of entomologists was sent to Salt Lake 
City, Utah, for the purpose of carrying out a thorough study of the 
insect and its ravages, with special reference to methods of control. 
Gradually other assistants were detailed, until the number emplo^^ed 
in and about Salt Lake was increased to nine, exclusive of the student 
assistant detailed from the State Agricultural Experiment Station. 
The primary object of this work was, so far as possible, to restrict 
the insect to the- area it then occupied and to use every effort, by 
field experiments in measures of control, to devise means of lessening 
its destructiveness. 
In the meantime it has been learned definitely that the alfalfa 
weevil was largely held in check in its native home by its natural 
enemies. Mr. W. F. Fiske, in charge of the Gipsy Moth Parasite 
Laborator}^, having been detailed for work in Italy, kindly volunteered 
to look into the matter of natural enemies of the weevil and, so far 
as was possible mthout interfering with his other duties, to send over 
to this country any insect enemies that seemed to him susceptible 
of colonization in Utah. The object of tliis was to get these insect 
enemies estabhshed, in so far as it was practicable to establish them, 
at the earliest possible date, in order that they might have the oppor- 
tunity to diffuse themselves during the spring of 1911. The value 
of Mr. Fiske's services at this time and in this direction can hardly 
be overestimated. A more detailed account of this matter will be 
found under a discussion of the introduction of the natural enemies 
of the alfalfa weevil. 
Very naturally the alfalfa weevil work divided itself into two 
branches: (1) The field work, which included all mechanical measures 
for controlling the pest in the field; and (2) the work, necessarily 
carried out largely in the laboratories at first, involved in the care 
and management of the parasitic material dispatched by Mr. Fiske 
from Italy. After the beginning of the fiscal year 1911-12 the experi- 
ment station was able to add but shghtly to the force of investigators. 
By tliis time, however, the annual generation of the weevil had devel- 
oped to the adult stage and laboratory investigations had largely 
decreased. 
While, as shown, the experiment station, owing to circumstances 
not under its control, was not able to put into the field men trained 
for this kind of work, the bureau was able by the aid of the imme- 
diately available fund to overcome this difficulty. In the meantime, 
however, the experiment station did its full share in other directions. 
Dr. Ball, director of the station, did not hesitate to use his personal 
and official influence whenever and wherever it could be of service in 
advancing this work. Besides this, in a great many cases he was 
able to relieve the bureau of expenses of field investigations as well 
as to carry a number of other items of expense for which it would 
