Khipling, Dr, Ed. F 
Re. E.VJ.Baker 
Dr. Edward F. Knipling 
Chief, Intomology Sesearch Branch 
Onited States Department of Agriculture 
Plant Industry Station 
Beltsville, JSaryiand 
Itear Dr. Knipling s 
fhe field work of the Smithsonian-Bredin Expedition to the 
Belgian Congo, in ^diich the United States Department of Agriculture 
so generously permitted Dr. Edward M, Baker to participate, may now 
be considered to have come to an end, the several manbers of the 
party having retumed to their official stations in ¥ashingt ns 
Dr, Baker, dune 2lij Dr. Schmitt, June 28j Ihr. Sexton, July 2. 
I write you at this time to express my appreciation of Dr. 
Baker* s services to the expedition. He rendered yecsaan service in 
collecting plant mites and we are convinced that when all returns 
ai^ in and the scientific results written up, Ite*. Baker will have 
made substantial and highly original contributions to our knowledge 
of mites in general, and of the African plant mites in particular. 
We understand that he found a number of instances of a surprisingly 
wide distribution of certain known species, and also a host of species 
not heretofore described and therefore new to science. Several cases 
of severe infestatisn were noted, in one case on sugar cane. At 
several of the agricultural experiment stations special attention was 
given to crop plants. 
Contacts established with other workers in the field, and 
arrangements made with scientific institutions in Europe and Africa 
regarding the collection, identification, loan, and exchange of 
material should prove profitable to liie agencies and individuals 
concerned. 
All in all, I wish again to thank you and the Department for 
making Dr. Baker»s services available to the Steithsonian and the 
Bredin Expedition. 
Very truly yours. 
J. E. Graf 
Acting Secretary 
