Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-09-05
OF WISCONSIN.

5 Because of the recent appointment
? of DR.. E. r Buckley of Madison a
: state geologist for Missouri added in
terest attaches to the geological an,
natural history survey of Wisconsin
with which important work he ha
had so much to do. This branch wa
created to complete the geological sur
vey of the state, examining the rock
created to complete the geological sur
vey of the state, examining the rock:
with reference to the occurrence O.
iron ore, building stones materials fol
road construction, and other valuable
mineral products; to study the soils Of
the state; to study the plants of the
state, and especially of the forests
with reference to their cultivation anG
preservation; to study the animal life
of the state with special reference tr
fish; to prepare bulletins of physical
geography in such form as to be avail
able for use in the public schools; and
to complete the topographic map oil
the state begun by the United States
| geological survey.
1t was planned to publish the re-
suits of these investigations in three
series of bulletins, known respectively
as an economic series, scientific series
and an educational series. Up to the
present time one bulletin of the edu-
cational series has been issued, two of
the scientific series and four of the
economic series. The first bulletin of
the scientific series issued was on The
Instincts and Habits of the Solitary
Wasps by George w. Pecham and Eliz-
abeth G. Pecham. This bulletin is a
classical study and one of which the
survey may justly be proud. It is
written in simple language and reads
like fairy tale.
One other report which is mainly of
a scientific nature was written by DR..
Samuel Weidman on the pre-Cambrian
Igneous Rocks of the Fox River val
ley. This is the beginning of the
study of that portion of the state
which was unsurveyed by the earlier
geological surveys. DR.. Weidman has
| for the last four years been making a
geological survey of Marathon, Lin
coin, Wood, Langlade, Taylor and
Clark counties, covering an area OF
about 1000 square miles. He is at the
present time preparing report on
this area although there are about
five times as much territory which
must be mapped before the region has
| been completely covered.
DR.. E. A. Birge, the director OF
the survey, has been for several
years carrying on an investigation OF
lake temperatures. The report on this
subject is in preparation and will be
published in a short time. This bull
letin will unquestionably be one of the
most important of any yet published.
The subject is one upon which but very
little has been written.
The only bulletin of the educa-
tional series yet published treats Of
the Geography of the Region of Devils
Lake and the Dalles of the Wisconsin
river. This bulletin was prepared by
Prof r. D. Salisbury and W. Atwood,
both of the University of Chicago.
| This bulletin contains many import
ant notes on surface geology. 1t
treats of regions which are exception
ally interesting to tourists and also
important to the geographer and ge-
ologist from a scientific standpoint
Three other educational bulletins
are nearly ready for publication. One
| IL Of
Wisconsin, by Prof. D. P. Nicholson OF
Lawrence university. The second Is
on the Physical Geography of the
Lakes of Southern and Eastern Wis
consin. by Prof. N. M. Fenneman, and
the third treats of the Forest Trees OF
Wisconsin bv Prof L. S. Cheney.
| Tn connection with the work on the
physical geography of the lake region
there have been prepared ten hydro
graphic maps of the important lakes
in the southern and eastern parts OF
the state. The work on these maps
has been largely under the direction OF
Prof L. S. Smith.
The bulletins of the economic series
have constituted the most important
mart of the work conducted by the sur
yev The first bulletin of this series
was prepared by Filbert Roth, special
agent of the United States department
of agriculture. This bulletin gave IN
a condensed form considerable import
ant information concerning the for
estrv conditions in northern Wiscon
sin The work which Prof. Cheney
has conducted in the preparation OF
the bulletin on Forest Trees in Wis
consin. mentioned above, is a contin
uation of this work started by Mr.
Roth.
The third bulletin of the economic
series was preliminary report on the
Conner Bearing Rocks Of Douglas
County This report treats of a sec
ton of what is known as the copper
region of Douglas county. The re
mort was written by DR.. U. S. Grant
who spent two summers making geo
logical survey of the region. The hrs
edition was issued in 1900 and sec
ond edition has been published TIL:
summer This report gives VALUABLE
information concerning the occurrence
of conner in the region surveyed.
Most Important Work.
The second of the reports of tn
economic series was on the Buildin'
. and Ornamental Stones of Wisconsin
nv DIR. F R. Buckley who has been il
charge of the department Of economl