Nineteenth Annual Meeting. 49 



severely criticised by scientists in the East, and it would appear that the report erred 

 in making exact statements where only approximation was possible, and in attempt- 

 ing too much by too rapid exploration in obedience to an unreasoning 2)ublic de- 

 mand for immediate economic results. 



Had the work commenced by Messrs. Mudge and Swallow been continued until 

 now, a worthy work would have been done. Exactness would have come with time, 

 and the economic value would have been great. This would have been especially so 

 in saving the wasteful expenditure of capital in useless prospecting. Since the date 

 of these reports scores of thousands of dollars have been expended to no purpose in 

 prospecting for coal, where a skilled State geologist would have advised with authority. 



Though the State has not directly procured the doing of any more scientific work) 

 yet indirectly she has aided in the diffusion of knowledge of the geological formations 

 within her borders, and advance in definite knowledge has been made by the enthusiasm 

 of individuals. B. F. Mudge became Professor of Geology at the State Agricultural 

 College, and devoted his holidays to making geological explorations and paleonto- 

 logical collections. Later, he collected in the interest of Yale College. Before his 

 death, in 1879, through the published reports of his work the general geology of the 

 northern half of the State, and also that of the southeastern region, became known 

 with a fair amount of certitude. The great features were soon recognized by Prof. 

 Mudge, and his broad experience enabled him at times to give shrewd guesses as to 

 details, that were afterwards verified by actual discovery. 



In 1875 Prof. Mudge contributed an article on the geology of western Kansas to 

 the national reports of geological and geographical surveys, made under the charge 

 of Dr. Hayden. In this he recognizes three cretaceous groups, viz., the Dacotah, the 

 Niobrara, and a group between them, which he provisionally named Fort Hays 

 group. He also definitely allotted the Triassic (?) strata of Swallow's report to the 

 Permian below and the Cretaceous above. The Tertiary was classed as Pliocene. 

 This shows that considerable advance had been made in the study of west and mid- 

 Kansas formations. 



In the same year Prof. Mudge, as Geologist of the State Board of Agriculture, and 

 in the fourth annual report of that Board, published an article on the geology of 

 Kansas. In the biennial report of that Board for 1877-8 he had also an article on 

 the same subject, which was illustrated with map, drawings and sections. In some 

 points following the line of the articles of 1875, we notice the greater prominence of 

 points of economic importance. The formation in the southeast, which now is yield- 

 ing abundance of lead and zinc, is described fully, and recognized as belonging to 

 the Keokuk group of the Sub-Carboniferous period, being an extension of that for- 

 mation from the adjacent lead region of Missouri. The Cretaceous group, formerly 

 called the Fort Hays group, is here recognized as that elsewhere known as the Fort 

 Benton group, and is so named. 



Prof. Mudge contributed also many papers on geological subjects {e.g., "Creta- 

 ceous Forests and their Migrations," "Bison Latifrons in Kansas," "Geology of the 

 Arkansas") to the annual meetings of the Kansas Academy of Science, but the pub- 

 lications above referred to give most definitely the results of his work and show the 

 advancing knowledge of geology. 



Since the death of Prof. Mudge the State Board of Agriculture has employed 

 Prof. Orestes St. John as its Geologist. In the Biennial Report for 1881-2 he gives 

 a very valuable treatise on the geology of the State. The subject is treated with 

 reference to topography, stratigraphy, and economics. The surface formations 

 (quaternary) are more fully discussed, and the drainage is well shown. The report 

 4 



