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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



Profe*Sob DIM1TRI MENDELEEFF 



them as equivalent to one element. Do- 

 ing this puts the rare earth elements 

 on a somewhat different footing from 

 the other elements. While this is 

 justified to a certain extent by the 

 chemical properties, it can not, in the 

 nature of things, be a final solution. 

 If we are not to throw over the periodic 

 law, we must either split other so-called 

 elements into groups of elements or we 

 must show that certain groups of ele- 

 ments alone are possible. To succeed 

 in the first would be to revolutionize 

 chemistry. To succeed in the second 

 would be to explain the reason for the 

 periodic law — which would also revolu- 

 tionize chemistry. Whatever the out- 

 come, MendeleefTs law will be for many 

 years one of the dominant factors in 

 chemical progress. 



APPRO PRIATIOXS FOR THE DE- 

 PARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Tjie agricultural appropriation bill 

 for- the fiscal year ending June 30, 1907, 



as finally passed by the recent session 

 of congress, carries an appropriation of 

 $9,932,940. Of this amount the sums 

 appropriated for what may be termed 

 work in applied science are distri- 

 buted as follows : The Bureau of Ani- 

 mal Industry receives $4,029,400, but 

 of this amount $3,000,000 are to be de- 

 voted to the meat inspection, the dis- 

 cussion of which has occupied so much 

 of the time of congress and of the public 

 press during the past few weeks; 

 Weather Bureau, $1,439,240; Bureau of 

 Plant Industry, $1,024,740; Forest 

 Service, $1,017,500; Agricultural Ex- 

 periment Stations, including the De- 

 partment Office of Experiment Stations, 

 $974,860; Bureau of Entomology, $262,- 

 100; Division of Publications, $248,- 

 520; Bureau of Soils, $221,460; Bureau 

 of Statistics, $210,560; Bureau of 

 Chemistry, $174,180; Office of Public 

 Ptoads, $70,000; Bureau of Biological 

 Survey, $52,000; Library, $25,880. 

 Large as is the annual appropriation 



