42 



of tlie fii'st fertilizer control l;i\v wliich was enacted in this State, a law 

 which did so nnich to protect tlie farmers from fraud, and in its applica- 

 tion to point out to them the fundamental principle of applying artificial 

 fertilizer. This is another remarlcahle instance in which the geological 

 development of the State was associated with the chemical. Mr. CoUett 

 had a strong personality. His snow-white beard and hair, his bright blue 

 eyes, and liis ruddy complexion made him a striking figure everywhei-e. 

 The end of Mr. Collett's administration of office was followed by a re- 

 markable innovation of a scientific nature. A distinguished poet and nov- 

 elist, James Maurice Thompson, was elected to succeed Mr. Collett as 

 State Geologist. INIr. Thompson has shown in liis writings an intimate 

 acquaintance with nature, but it was a poetic rather tlian a scientific 

 knowledge wliicli lie iiosscssid. Kvidciitly the courses of scientific re- 

 senrcli were not found comjiatible with his efforts so signal and success- 

 ful in the fields of poetry and fiction. After two years he resigned his 

 office. There was perhaps little loss to geology in his resignation, but 

 evidently a marl\ed gain to literature, for li;id he remained as State Geol- 

 ogist that delightful romance, "Alice of Old \'iiicennes."' would probably 

 not have been written. ^Ir. Thompson was succeeded liy Mr. S. S. Gorby, 

 wlio hold tlie position until llie present incumbent assumed control of the 

 office. We ai'e so familiar with the valuable worlc which Mr. Blatchley 

 has accomplished that it will not Ite necessary for me to dwell long upon 

 it. One of the innovations which h;is been of distinct value in the prose- 

 cution of the geological survey of the State by Mr. Blatchley was the 

 abolition of the method of county surveys formerly in vogue. In their 

 stead he adopted the plan of taking ui> each of the natural resom'ces in 

 detail, and preparing a monograph or special report thereon, accompanied 

 by maps, cuts, engravings and tables of chemical and physical tests. An- 

 other successful application of economic science to industry has residted 

 from a study of the clay deposits in the State. The description of the char- 

 acter of these clays, with their chemical and physical composition, has 

 become valuable to intending investors and more than twenty large fac- 

 tories have been established in Clay, Vigo, Fountain, Vermillion, Parke, 

 Morgan and other counties for the manufacture of clay products. The 

 total value of the output of these factories in 1!>00 was Jj^o.o.'kS.ouO. Another 

 result of the geological studies of Indiana was the discovery of petroleum 

 oil deposits. The output of oil in the State of Indiana in 1901 was 5,749,- 

 975 barrels, of which the market value was only a little less than .$1.U0 



