Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 33.djvu/437

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POPULAR MISCELLANY.
423

Kaspany, Joachim, The Divine Social Science of Humanitarian Co-operation. London: The Humanitarian Publishing Association. Pp. 20. 1 penny.

Loti, Pierre. From Lands of Exile. Translated by Clara Bell. New York: W. S. Gottsberger. Pp. 301.

Lunt, Edward Clark. The Present Condition of Economic Science. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 114. 75 cents.

Martin, H. Newell, and Brooks, W. K. Studies from the Biological Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University. Baltimore: N. Murray. Pp. 36, with Plates. 75 cents, $5 per volume.

Michigan, Agricultural College of. Experiments with Potatoes and Oats. Pp. 8. Weather Service Reports. Pp. 5.

Miller, Olive Thome. In Nesting-Time. Houghton, Mifflin & Co. Pp. 275. $1.25.

Newcomb, Simon. Report of the Superintendent of the Nautical Almanac, June 30, 1887. Washington: Government Printing-Office. Pp. 7.

Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Columbus. Spring and Summer Treatment of Apple-Orchards to prevent Insect Injuries. Pp. 14.—Small Fruits and Vegetables. Pp. 12.

Pastor, The Rural, vs. the City Rector. Milwaukee: The Young Churchman Co. Pp. 111.

Peckham, George W. and Elizabeth G. The Mental Powers of Spiders. Boston: Ginn & Co. Pp. 40.

Philadelphia. Academy of Natural Sciences of Transactions. In sheets.

Proctor, Richard A. Old and New Astronomy. Part II. New York: Longmans, Green & Co. Pp. 64, with Plates.

Shufeldt, R. W. On the Skeleton m the Genus Sturnella, etc. Pp. 42, with Plates.

Smithsonian Institution, Report for 1885. Part II. Washington: Government Printing-Office. Pp. 264 and 939, with Plates.

Smock, John C. Building-Stone in the State of New York. Albany: Charles Van Benthuysen & Sons. Pp. 152.

Spencer, Edgar A. Hints from a Lawyer. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 227. $1.25.

Sterne, Simon. Constitutional History and Political Development of the United States. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. Pp. 361.

Warring, Charles B. Genesis i and its Critics. New York: Sterner, Lambert & Co. Pp. 24.

Wey, Hamilton D. Physical and Industrial Training of Criminals. New York: Industrial Education Association. Pp. 96.

Wright, Julia McNair. "Seaside and Wayside," No. 2. Boston: D. C. Heath & Co. Pp. 175.


POPULAR MISCELLANY.

The Organization of the Geological Survey.—The statement of the organization, business methods, and work of the Geological Survey, prepared by Major J, W. Powell, the director, in response to the inquiries of the Senate Select Committee on the Executive Departments, gives a very detailed account of that bureau. The Survey was organized in March, 1879, with Mr. Clarence King as director, who was succeeded in March, 1881, by Major Powell, The function of the Survey is "the geological survey and the classification of the public lands, and examination of the geological structure, mineral resources, and products of the national domain, and to continue the preparation of a geological map of the United States." For the prosecution of these researches, there have been organized a division of geography, divided into several sections, a number of divisions of geology and paleontology, and several miscellaneous divisions, namely, chemistry and physics, petrography, mining statistics and technology, forestry, illustrations, and library and documents. The funds for the support of the Survey are appropriated by Congress from year to year, the amount for the current fiscal year being $502,240. Before the beginning of each year the plan for the year is formulated by the director, after conference with the heads of the various divisions and sections, and a stated sum is allotted to each head officer for prosecuting the work in his charge. In large measure each chief is an independent investigator, and, since all reports or maps made by him are published under his name, he has a strong incentive to do all that can be done with the money allotted; his work, however, is under the general supervision and control of the director. The fiscal operations of the Survey are in charge of a chief disbursing clerk, and there are twelve disbursing agents acting under his general direction. Nine of these belong to the scientific staff, and merely add the labor of disbursing to their other duties. There is also a class of agents, made up mainly of chiefs of divisions and their scientific assistants, who are charged with the custody of all property owned by the Survey. This class of agents is made so large that each individual may have personal knowledge of every article with which he is charged. Collections of minerals made for study in the several divisions are ultimately transferred to the United States National Museum, with the exception of material that would be useless in a museum. In the division of illustrations, a number of assistants are employed upon drawings and the proof-reading of engravings. There is a photographic laboratory belonging to the division in charge of a photographer who has four assistants. This force does not include that employed in the section of topographic drawing in the division of geography. The labor of preparing the manuscripts for the