66 
JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY 
[Vol. 13 
operations on a comprehensive scale and in view of the destructive 
potentialities of the borer such an undertaking is favored. 
' » ’ . 
Secondary Conditions Affecting the Problem 
The control of the European corn borer is by no means a simple 
problem in entomology or a question of organization. The infestation 
of three and possibly four states vitally concerns as many different- 
sets of officials as well as representatives of the federal government and 
all in turn are dependent upon law making bodies for the necessary 
appropriations. It is entirely possible for one group or even a portion 
of a group to largely prevent effective work and by the very nature of 
the case there is such an excellent opportunity to evade responsibility, 
that at times it is almost impossible to ascertain the real cause of 
unsuccessful cooperation or activity. 
These statements simply describe the situation as it exists and 
justify a question as to the desirability and possibility of evolving 
more effective ways of handling limited infestations of destructive 
insects. It is a condition not peculiar to entomology or even to science. 
It is something found in many lines of governmental activity. 
Destructive insects have been introduced into this country in earlier 
years and similar developments may be expected in the future. It is 
only necessary to refer to the gypsy moth, the San Jose scale and the 
cotton boll weevil, to bring to mind three exceedingly destructive 
pests which were detected shortly after they obtained a foothold in 
the country and were allowed for one reason or another to extend 
their range over considerable areas. All three have been exhaustively 
studied and many printed pages have been devoted to discussing their 
habits and the most effective methods of control. With these three 
in mind, one might conclude that American economic entomologists 
have been more efficient as investigators than executives. Very 
nearly the same conditions obtain in relation to chestnut blight and 
the white pine blister rust. 
A survey of the situation in the light of our present knowledge 
justifies the belief that it would have been comparatively inexpensive 
and certainly highly profitable to have attempted the extermination 
of these three pests as soon as they were found, even though it involved 
considerably larger expenditures than would be necessary after more 
information was available. It may be argued that eradication was 
impossible in the earlier days because of the lack of information. This 
is most easily answered by the statement that much of the most valu¬ 
able data in regard to such problems come from field experience. We 
would not underrate in the slightest the desirability of exact informa- 
