180 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 16 
to be able to use this knowledge and equipment and to make good 
photographs. 
He does not always exhibit such knowledge. Every month circulars 
or bulletins appear carrying half-tone illustrations that show poorly 
timed negatives and a mediocre arrangement of subject. Backgrounds 
are muddy. Important features are out of focus or out of position. 
In contrast to these some of our entomologists are producing bulletins 
and reports that carry splendid illustrations, which amplify and illumi¬ 
nate the subject matter. Such bulletins are worth studying. 
In spite of creditable material furnished by the entomologist, the 
printer may do his work so poorly that the effort of the entomologist 
to produce an effective publication comes to naught. If this is the case, 
it may easily be possible that the writer of a bulletin can tackle the 
problem by conference with the printer, by eliminating half-tones 
from text matter and substituting line drawings in such location, by 
confining photographic illustrations to an insert plate or two, and by 
similar methods. 
Many entomologists receive large numbers of letters seeking infor¬ 
mation and advice. They constitute an important avenue of contact 
with the public. I am one of those who hold to it that a personal 
inquiry should have some sort of personal answer. It may be that the 
substance of the answer will be embodied in a circular mailed to the 
inquirer. But a typewritten and signed reply, even if only a line or 
two in length, is worth while, because it inevitably helps the man who 
wrote the inquiry to appreciate, to understand and to utilize the infor¬ 
mation that is sent him A printed form may convey all the essentials 
so far as necessary information is concerned. But to the average man 
such a form is inadequate and leaves with him a feeling that the ento¬ 
mologist to whom he wrote gave insufficient thought to his inquiry. 
The letter need not be long. Nor need it be the formal document that 
we are apt to make it. Let it be as if you were replying by word of 
mouth to a spoken inquiry, and you will carry your point the more 
readily. 
Through the County Farm Bureaus and County Agricultural 
Agents, the entomologist may often increase the value and extent of 
his contacts and his influence. These county workers, with others who 
are engaged in extension activities, can serve important ends for many 
entomologists. They can assist in spreading information and in getting 
it utilized. Their direct contacts with farmers, fruit growers and 
gardeners can help the entomologist to a clearer comprehension of the 
