of any
particular economic entomological question within the limits of the
State having such an officer, the United States entomologist would
naturally feel that any effort on his part would be unnecessary, or
might even be looked upon as an interference. He would feel that there
was always danger of mere duplication of observation or experiment,
except where appealed to for aid or co-operation. This is, perhaps,
true only of insects which are local or sectional, and is rather a
narrow view of the matter, but it is one brought home from experience,
and is certainly to be considered in our future plans. The favor with
which the museum work of the national division was viewed by you at
the meeting last November and the amount of material sent on for
determination would indicate that the building up of a grand national
reference collection will be most useful to the station workers. But
to do this satisfactorily we need your co-operation, and I appeal to
all entomologists to aid in this effort by sending duplicates of their
types to Washington, and thus more fully insuring against ultimate
loss thereof.

STATUS OF OUR SOCIETY.

This train of thought brings up the question of the status of our
society with the station entomologists as represented by the committee
of the general association. Those of us who had desired a national
association for the various purposes for which such associations are
formed, felt, I believe, if I may speak for them, that the creation of
the different experimental stations rendered such an organization
feasible. Your organization at Toronto and the constitution adopted
and amended at the meeting at Washington all indicate that the chief
object was the advancement of our chosen work and that the strength of
the association would come from the experiment station entomologists.
There was then no other organization of the kind, nor any intimation
that such a one would be founded. Some of us therefore were surprised
to learn from the circular sent out by Prof. Forbes, its chairman,
that the committee appointed by the association of agricultural
colleges and experiment stations, and through which we had hoped to
communicate and co-operate with that association, was not in the
proper sense a committee, but a section which has prepared (and in
fact was required by the executive committee and the rules of the
superior body to prepare) a programme of papers and discussions for
the meeting to be held