During the 25th Anniversary Conclave in Eugene last summer, Bill Cushner graciously gave "The Group" a special tour of his wonderful museum. Bill made a point of showing us how he uses tobacco, in both cigarette and chew form, as a pest control for his valuable flies and feathers. I hate the smell of moth balls and I'm a little afraid of them. He said it is the only pest deterrent he has used for many years. Consequently I was very impressed and planned to use his tip. However, on my way home I stopped by Joe Howell's Blue Heron Fly Shop where the smell of the infamous moth ball was quite apparent. Joe and I talked about the Conclave and I mentioned Cushner's use of tobacco. Joe told me that two years before he too had been to the museum and seen the tobacco pest control. When Joe put his shop to bed for the following winter, he placed a cigarette in each compartment of fly display rack which has a glass lid. When Joe returned to open the shop in the early Spring, the bugs of the North Umpqua had feasted on his fly stock. So here I'm left still looking for a "socially acceptable" excuse for buying cigarettes.