Secretary's Report, 1905. 11 



of the State Board of Agriculture," and there is no doubt we shall 

 receive all the recognition we deserve. We have a field of activity 

 of our own, which supplements the agricultural, the educational, 

 the mechanical and the commercial work of the state, and it is for 

 us to take possession of our province. 



In its enlargement our museum has happily taken the form of 

 an exhibit of the economic mineral resources of the state, and this, 

 with proper care and growth, may become one of the most interest- 

 ing and useful collections in the state-house. Our present display 

 is the outcome of the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, at St. Louis, 

 and the near approach of the commemoration of the semicenten- 

 nial of Kansas is an opportunity this Academy should not neglect 

 of strengthening itself and doing its share in the upbuilding of our 

 commonwealth. It will be very appropriate at this meeting for 

 the Academy to put itself on record as a promoter of this worthj^ 

 enterprise. The mineral resources of Kansas are only beginning 

 to be known, and promise to add to our wealth an equal quota 

 with the agricultural products. The total value of our coal, of our 

 petroleum, our clays, cements, and plaster, of our salt, of our glass 

 sand, and many other minerals, represents a fortune, compared with 

 which the wealth of a modern Croesus appears insignificant. 



LIBRARY. 



Reference has already been made to our books, and in consider- 

 ing a library, its quality is quite as important as its size. We are 

 constantly receiving the transactions of scientific bodies from 

 various parts of the earth. We also get various government pub- 

 lications from Washington, and have had each year, for some time, 

 several hundred volumes of these publications neatly bound. Our 

 catalogue at this date gives only the titles of these volumes, grouped 

 under names of the countries from which they come. We need 

 very much a catalogue arranged according to modern library methods, 

 which will make it possible to use conveniently the many valuable 

 books in our collection. All the leading European languages are 

 represented, and your secretary will need clerical assistance to bring 

 the library into proper shape. 



We have been loaning books to members with much advantage, 

 no doubt, but this practice requires some rules as to the time such 

 loaned books may be kept, or the library will suffer loss. I recom- 

 mend a committee to formulate such rules as may seem best to 

 govern the loaning of books. 



The Transactions are the chief asset of the library, and owing to 



