The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-02-14
RESULTS OF THE
 GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
WHAT THE STATE COMMISSION
 AIMS TO DO.


 pear soon and Reports are to be Sub
 mitted at an Early Date on Several
 Lines of investigation.
 The second biennial report of the of the state geological and natural history survey has been filed in the governors office. The com missloners are the governor, who is the chairman, President Hadley of Yale, President Raymond of Wesleyan, Pres fdent Luther of Trinity and President StimsonS of the Connecticut Agricul- tural college. Dr. Luther is the secre- tary of the commission. Professor William North Rice of Middletown is superintendent of the survey.
 The survey was organized under a law approved June 3, 1903 Its work is the study of the geology, botany and zoology of the state The tim of its in- vestigations and publications is three foll-scientifc, ecoomic and education al It has already published the fol- lowing bulletins: First biennial report of the commissioners; a preliminary re- port of the protozoa of the fresh wa ters of Connecticut, by H. w. Conn. il- lustrated by numerous figures from drawings by the author; preliminary report on the hymeniales of Conneeti- cut, by E. A, White, with group of large and conspicuous fungi, some of which are edible and others extremely poisonous; the clays and clay industry of Connecticut by G. F. Loughlin; the ustilagineae, or snuts, of Connecticut, by G.. P Clinton dealing with group of microscopic parasitic fungi very de- structive of agricultural products
 The following bulletins have been ac- eepted for publication, and will appear at an early date; Manual of the Geolo gy of Connecticut, by w. N. Rice and H. E. Gregory the first somewhat de- tailed account of the geology of the entire state which has been published since PercivaPs report in 1S42, and it is believed will meet a long felt need of the teachers in our state preliminary geographical map of Connecticut, by H. E. Gregory and H. H. Robinson, on a scale of four miles to the inch; biblio- graphy of ConnecticIt geology, by H. E. Gregory.
 Work is now in progress on the fol- lowing lines of investigation, on several of which reports will be submitted at an early date. A study of the rocks of Connecticut, by J. Barrell, with special attention to rocks useful as building stones; a study of the terraces of the Thames Estuary, by F. P. Gu.tiver; Il general study of the quarternary gcol- ogy of the state, by H. F. Cie51ry; a list of the flowering plants and the higher cryptogams of the state, pre- pared under the auspices of the Con necticut Botanical society; q study Of the mosses and liverworts of the state, by A. w. Evans and G. F. Nichols; further investigations on some of the fungi, with special reference 10 the cd ible species, by FEE A. White; a study of the downy mildews, by c. F. CGn-
 
 fungi, including a number of species destructive of agric ltural products; further investigations of the micr9sco- pic life of fresh wats-s, by H. W. Conn, with report on the birds of C0nlacti- cut, by J. H. Sage and l.. B. Bishop with notes on migratton3, food and habits; papers on two groups If in 1.xy w. E. Britton and others; a paper on the echinoderms of Connecticut, by w. R. Coe,
 In an abstract of the report the com- missloners say:
 'The general law allows the publiea- tion of only 1875 copies of any report. That number is inadequate for the bgi- letins of the survey, as they should be widely distributed among colleges, li- braries, scientific men, teachers and others, both within and without the state. The general assembly is asked to authorize the printing of larger edi- tions.
 While it is believed that the work al- ready done or in progress furnishes ample justification of the appropria- tions which have been made, that work is only a beginning of what a state survey should accomplish. The geo. graphical study of a large part of the area of the state has little more than reconnaissance. A report on the mine- ralogy of the state would be very use- ful. A study of the fossil fishes con- s,,a j nI.a e Sa, [ valley would be an important contri- button to science. Public attention has recently been called to the value of peat as fuel Connecticut undoubtedly possesses extensive deposits of peat, but nothing is definitely known about them. A detailed survey of our peat deposits is eminently desirable. The study of the microscopic life of our fresh waters should be further proseeu- ted. Other groups of insects should be studied, as well as the two orders above mentioned. The marine fauna of our coast form the subject of a series of reports.
 "The appropriation for the survey should certainly be continued and per- uaPo llClVd9eu' hdly oI tHe states dTe appropriating much larger sums than Connecticut, either for the study of geology alone, or for the general study of the geology and natural history of their respective areas. A survey con tinued permanently, with moderate an nual appropriations, can do it's work more economically, and make itself more useful, than survey which is expected to complete it's work and pre- sent final reports within a few years If it wts wise to establish a state sur vey, 1t Is wise to provide appropria-