40 Wisco7isin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 



one of the elegant apartments in tlie capitol so generously as- 

 signed to Agriculture some years ago. 



There are many private collections in the State which would 

 make great gain in usefulness could they be brought together 

 at the capitol, and which, it is gratifying to be able to add, 

 their proprietors, in some cases, purpose giving to, or deposit- 

 ing with, the Academy, so soon as suitable preparations are 

 made for them. 



Field work in Geology and the other branches of Natural 

 History, being necessaril}^ attended with considerable pecuniary 

 outlay, it cannot be expected that very great progress will be 

 made therein until the Academy is in a condition to relieve 

 its members of at least a portion of such burden of expense. 

 It already includes gentlemen fully competent to thorough 

 work in each of the departments ; and when this condition of 

 pecuniary ability is reached there is reason to believe that, un- 

 der a well devised system, embracing a judicious division of 

 labor, a good deal may be done by it towards a scientific sur- 

 vey of the State, with comparatively little expense. 



It is of much practical as well as scientific importance that 

 further work of this kind should be done; for as yet no single 

 -county has been thoroughly examined in its relation to all the 

 departments of natural histor}^, and much the larger portion of 

 the State, as already intimated, has not been favored with so 

 much as a general reconnoissance. 



The construction of railroads now in progress through the 

 centre and northern portions, which are believed, upon e\'idence 

 already furnished, to be rich in mineral and other resources, 

 will facilitate the needed explorations and should prompt the 

 state, as well as citizens who have an interest — and what citi- 

 zen who has not? — in the development of that region, to extend 

 to the Academy all reasonable encouragement in its endeavors 

 to institute and carry on such investigations as properly come 

 ■within the plan of its scientific labors. 



