56 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



The report of Dr. J. Gr. Cooper, the Zoologist of the society, and 

 latel}' ooiinected with the Geological Snrvc}', describes very man^- of the 

 animals, birds, fishes, and reptiles of the State, most interesting to 

 farmers and others, and the manner of collecting and preserving the 

 same for museums and for scientific purposes. 



The report of Dr. H. H. Behr, the Entomologist of the society, upon 

 the insects destructive to agriculture, will be found verj- interesting and 

 important to farmers and horticulturists, and a valuable contribution to 

 that science on this coast. 



Professor H. N. Borlander, one of the Botanists of the society, con- 

 tributes an important and interesting paper upon the grasses of the 

 State. Considering that from the peculiarities of our climate and the 

 close pasturing of our grazing lands, most of the native grasses are dis- 

 appearing antl being supplanted by useless weeds, this report is of most 

 vital importance, and may tend to attract public attention to and induce 

 experiments upon this subject so interesting to the stock growing inter- 

 ests of our State. 



The report of Dr. A. Kellogg, in the department of botany, relating 

 to trees and shrubberj-, is astrong appeal to arrest the unnecessary 

 destruction of timber in a State where the cost of lumber is already so 

 serious a drawback to agricultural prosperity and improvement, .and it 

 is hoped will in many cases induce the " woodman " to " spare that tree," 

 and the farmer to cultivate forests of his own. 



The valuable paper of Dr. E. Oxland, Chemist and Metallurgist to 

 the Board, is well timed, and will be found of great interest both to 

 miners and vine growers. It discusses the importance of associations of 

 mine and mill Superintendents for the purpose of obtaining from their 

 personal experiences information as to the best methods of manipulating 

 ores, and for the extraction of the precious metals. Also, some new asso- 

 ciations of metals recently discovered in California, and a few introduc- 

 tory' observations on the peculiar circumstances of the State affecting 

 the manufacture of wine. ' 



The statistical tables and practical comments of Dr. T. M. Logan, 

 Meteorologist to the society, is probably the most full and complete 

 exhibit of the climate of the Pacific coast that has ever been published. 

 The observations, which are reported on the Smithsonian system, embrace 

 all the important localities, and if properl}^ studied, and its lessons 

 adhered to, will be of great benefit to the agricultural interests of the 

 State. 



The paper of Professor Whitney, State Geologist, and who has 

 also accepted the position of Geologist to the society, upon the physical 

 geograph}' of the State, need only to be mentioned to be sought for and 

 read b}' all who desire correct information upon this subject, of which so 

 little is known to the world. 



All these gentlemen have accepted the positions to which the}- were 

 appointed by the Board, and have gratuitously given to the society their 

 time and knowledge for the pur])Ose of assisting it in its endeavors to 

 answer a demand which has long been felt by the friends of science and 

 enlightened policy on this coast, for a general diffusion of correct infor- 

 mation in regard to this comparativel}' new and in many respects anoma- 

 lous and unap])reciated part of our country. We hesitate not to say 

 that these free contributions to knowledge are worth more to the State 

 than ten times the cost of the publication of this volume of transactions, 

 and the services of the contributors should by all means be secured for 

 a continuance of the important investigations thus begun. But it 



