208 MICHIGAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



arm seats and a demonstration table with water, gas and drainage con- 

 nections. 



Every instructor should do some special work. This does not neces- 

 sarily mean that every instructor should be an original investigator. He 

 should be a teacher first and an investigator second. But even if he is 

 not an original investigator, he should still do special work in the way 

 of preparing experiments, getting material ready for students, etc. ; and 

 consequently should have a place to carry on such work. Special work 

 can be done in the general laboratory, could conveniently be done there 

 if all students should learn the difference between public and private 

 property, but since they seldom do, an instructor working in a general 

 laboratory is sure to be more or less annoyed. In order to avoid this 

 annoyance we have planned a private laboratory 9x12 feet, rather small, 

 but far better than none. The private laboratory besides being too small 

 has the disadvantage of being rather poorly lighted, since light must 

 come through the conservatory before it reaches the laboratory. We 

 hope, however, to overcome this deficiency in natural lighting by sup- 

 plying the table in this room with both gas and electricity. 



The general laboratory will be supplied with two material tables, one 

 an ordinary table, the other a table with a water tight top three inches 

 deep. A water pipe with several laterals one foot long ending in stop 

 cocks will run about two feet above this table from end to end, thus 

 supplying running water if desired for any purpose. This table is also 

 to have a tank eight inches from the floor similar to the one forming the 

 top of the table but two inches deeper, being five inches deep instead of 

 three. This table will be supplied with water so that it can be used to 

 retain frogs, turtles, cray fish, etc. 



Students of biology, while at work in the laboratory are frequently 

 referred to books treating the subject in hand. They should, therefore, 

 have a good assortment of biological references in a convenient place. 

 We shall consequently keep the department library in the laboratory and 

 for this purpose have planned a book case five feet long with shelves 

 from floor to ceiling. Each individual shelf will be supplied with a dust 

 proof door. A case similar to the book case but much smaller will serve 

 as a place in which to keep the microscopes when not in use. 



A wardian case, such as described by Ganong in his "Teaching Botan- 

 ists," for constant temperatures higher than the temperature of the 

 room and an ice box for low temperatures are desirable accessories not 

 planned for in our laboratory. The laboratory and all the rooms in con- 

 nection with it will be heated with steam. We are attempting to intro- 

 duce the "Johnston Regulating System." This, if introduced, will pre- 

 vent the temperature from rising higher than desired at any time. In 

 addition to the steam heating system we are to have a small hot water 

 system in the conservatory. Gas is to supply the heat for the hot water 

 system and will be under the control of a thermostat so that when the 

 temperature lowers to a desired degree, due to the reduction of steam 

 pressure in the general system the gas will be turned on and the tempera- 

 ture kept at the desired degree by the hot water system. By the com- 

 bination of these two systems, we hope to be able to keep a compara- 

 tively constant temperature in the conservatory with a minimum ex- 

 penditure. 



