The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1910-02-08
OLLECT|OAOF
NATIONAL MUSEUM
One Of The Finest IN
The Country
.lD0UT 10000 SPECIMENS

North Carolina is a Favor:te Territory
for American Gems and From IL arc
Series of the Colored Aluminium
Oxides. Such as the Ruby and Sap
nhire. But More Conspicuously the
Rare Green Hiddenite and the
Pleasing Pink Garnet.
Especial to News and Observer
Washington, d. c., Feb. 5.-FaScl-
mating indeed is the study Of minerals
for they are the bright-colored ana
brilliant objects in the inorganic world
that may be pleasantly compared win
the butterflies and humming bros OF
the animal kingdom.
The mineral collection in the United
States National Museum Is one of the
nest in this country. It's grown ana
Development have been Interesting.
Originally it was the private collection
of Charles o.. Shepard. of Amherst
College-one of the favorite pupils OF
the elder Silliman and a amous
,hemist and mineraiogist in his time
! To his as a nucleus was added much
Of the material collected at the
" orld's Fair held in Philadelphia, Pa.
in 1876, and since then accretlons
have come from the field collections
made by the various parties sent out
by government surveys and from do
nations from private individuals.
The collection as now shown in
ClGdeS about 20, 600 specimens on eX-
hlb -tion, and it contains of conspicu-
u interest much Of h type material
from which the original descrip ions
of minerals ave been written.
Among the specimens that are ike
~ to attract the attention of one in
tereSted in mineralOgy is the cOmnlot
collection Of zeolites from Great
Notch, Sussex county, n. j., and ii mas
be mentioned that the series of zeolites
from the Bergen tunnels is worthy OF
consideration. Some very fine speci-
mems of crystallized gold from Cali
fornia are shown and the e~xtraordi-
narily large bowlder Of copper. know
?s the ~"Ontonagon RoWlder," from
the Lake Superior region, show the
crystallized faces of that metal. From
T isbee, Arizona, are the beautiful
green and blue crystall.zations O
malachite and azurite, while from
Joplin. Mo. are interesting crystals O.
calclte- There are in the collection
from abroad beautiful groups of The
fanon cOlOred ~fluorite from Cumber
land, Encland, and full suites of crvs.
tails Of topaz from Siberia and Brazil
Gems are minerals made beautiful
ny cutting and other treatment, anc
used as ornaments. DR.. Isaac Lea. O
Fhilacelphia was a famous collecto,
; CT gems and on his death the unin,,,
, collection. SO rich in American repre
: sentat1Ves, made by him, passed int,
: TIE custody of the National Museum
North Carolina is q favorite territor,
1or American gems and from it ar,
series OF the colored aluminium oxides
Such as the ruby and the Dph h,,
more conspicuousIy the rare gree,
hoden1te and the pleasing pink car
net, called rhodclite. From that Sta :,
ass come the aquamarine and tn,
DerNls. and more recently. the sagen
w., s"nnetIfnes called Loves arrows, o,
account OF the crystals of rutila whic1
= occur IN the quartz matrix. THIS pan
e IS Il favorlte gift stone, especially who,
cut n the shape of a heart.
Nhere there is 50 much beautv +
eve IN as among gems it is dfficul
most attractive. Whether If he ~
N'au lf"l series Of urmalinS fror
T l'rls, Me, or those from San Dioor
= ~ inc hlre t~nruuoisas from M
Mexico are popular with some, Will
We oIue sanphires from Montan
r .'il'''iS. we green val
= ,te resembling turquoise in ext,,re ;
receiving growing consideration n,
TerN HpaiS with thoir rasnlon 49, 49,:
oescent hues, Notwithstanding the su
p ftrSJtlon that they are unlucky fin
many to enjoy them. "
! One OF the latest gem stones is cal,
t 60 kunzlte and is a pinkish spodumen
from California. Specimen IF - -
: most attractive and are still uncom
, mon. "iiSoIh
mere are doubtless many mjnera
n existence that have not vi hoo
uescrlheo and as interest in minera1c
gy grows specimens will be collacto
and sent to the Museum for jdnn+ifan
O ton. Doubtless from among thee
gems will be found rivaling in baan+,
II not the diamond. certainly MAN. :
the lesser well-known gems, :