EDITORIAL. 
the control of the European Corn Borer, now known to exist in two 
States. The pest is a very serious one, and has spread rapidly within 
the past twelve months, so that the task of elimination or control has 
become correspondingly more serious. In order to hold it as closely 
as possible to the present infested area, the Bureau of Entomology is 
throwing into the field the largest force possible to enforce the existing 
quarantine, and to enlarge survey work. Another item is $135,000 for 
investigations of insects affecting vegetable crops, a large portion of 
which will be used for the control of the sweet potato weevil. It is the 
practice in America to tackle plant and stock diseases in a courageous 
and scientific manner, and the policy has abundantly justified itself 
by the enormous savings effected. 
NEW SUBJECTS OF INQUIRY. 
Amongst other items which appear for the first time on the Estimates 
of Federal expenditure in the United States is $50,000 for the investiga- 
tion of Flag-smut of wheat, Take-all, and similar diseases of wheat and 
other cereals infesting soil and seed. Twenty thousand dollars has been 
set aside for the development of the nut industry, for it is recognised 
that no tree industry of equal importance presents more difficult problems 
to the growers. Twenty thousand dollars will be devoted to the inves- 
tigation of the grape industry and methods of utilizing grapes heretofore 
used for the production of alcoholic beverages: The improvement of 
potato seed crops accounts for another $15,000, and this work will be 
undertaken under the co-operation of those States where potato-growing 
is one of the major industries. There is a very large increase of the 
funds for the investigation of tuberculosis of animals, the grant for this 
purpose totalling $1,500,000. 
CITRUS BY-PRODUCTS. . . 
With characteristic acumen, the United States Department of Agri- 
culture set about the experimental work to ascertain whether the culls 
from orange and lemon crops could not be profitably utilized. The 
citrus industry is all-important to California, and the problem of how 
to utilize the rejects and waste fruit was becoming increasingly acute. 
Fruit which is not fit for shipment because of minor defects, such as 
small bruises or punctures, has now a commercial value, since the 
establishment of the experimental laboratory at Los Angeles. _ As a 
direct result of the work carried out there, four stable concerns manu- 
facturing by-products, such as lemon oil, citrate of lime, and citric acid, 
have been established; while twenty concerns are producing orange 
by-products to, the extent of. 6,000,000 lbs. each year. Less. than five 
years ago, culled lemons could be had in large quantities for $5 a. ton, 
while to-day, notwithstanding the fact that a large quantity is now 
available, the price obtained by the grower is $25 a ton. This, is only 
one of many instances showing the value of spending money ‘on éxperi- 
mental work. sit as Mie otro Lan OR chee See aN oc oe 
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