JOURNAL 
OF 
ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
OFFICIAL ORGAN AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGIST 
Vol. 16 OCTOBER, 1923 No. 5 
THE PROGRESS OF FOREST ENTOMOLOGY IN THE 
UNITED STATES 1 
Abstract 
A biographical sketch of Dr. A. D. Hopkins, the father of forest entomology in 
this country, whose studies established the great economic importance of forest 
insects, the percentage principle of control, the host selection principle, some of the 
possibilities in silvicultural control and business management and the value of the 
Bioclimatic Law as a guide in control work. The application of these investigations is 
exemplified by the studies of assistants to Dr. Hopkins, W. F. Fiske on the gipsy 
moth, Dr. F. C. Craighead on the locust borer, and Dr. T. E. Snyder on white ants. 
There is great need for further investigations along thqse lines and for the closest 
cooperation between forester and forest entomologists in developing silvicultural 
methods and modifications in mangement. 
On July 12, 1923, Dr. A. D. Hopkins who has been in charge of forest 
insect investigations of the Bureau since July 1902 was, in accordance 
with his expressed wishes, transferred from his former duties to that of 
special research in bioclimatics. 
Dr. Hopkins enters a field extremely important and interesting, 
relatively new and with a wide and direct entomological bearing. He 
leaves behind a science of which, in its application to American types of 
forests, he has been the father and pioneer. It is fitting and proper at 
this time to give a brief biographical sketch of Dr. Hopkins, to summarize 
briefly his great achievements in Forest Entomology and to outline the 
most notable contributions. 
Biographical. Dr. Hopkins was born August 20, 1857, on a farm 
at Evans, near Ripley, Jackson Co., West Virginia. From his earliest 
recollection he was interested in and made collections of, first, land 
shells and, in succession, water shells, bird eggs, birds, and finally insects, 
and has, since he was about 12 years old to the present time, specialized 
on insects. Some work he did on the farm with an insect affecting rasp¬ 
berries, including original drawings to illustrate the insect, its work and 
X A contribution by members of the Division of Forest Entomology of the Bureau 
of Entomology, U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
