i894. NATURAL SCIENCE IN JAPAN. iii 



With these maps explanatory texts are pubHshed, each divided 

 into three chapters. The first describes the topographical features of 

 the district, with special attention to the situation of the agricultural 

 land and its transport facilities. The second contains a general view 

 of the agricultural land with respect to its geological formations, and 

 a detailed account of the soils investigated in the laboratory and of 

 special mineral fertilisers. The third discusses the soils as factors in 

 agriculture and their relations to plant growth, and compares the 

 fertilit}' of soils arising from the different geological formations. 



Besides the regular work of the Section, the relations of the 

 principal agricultural products to some of the more important local 

 conditions have been studied in various parts of the Empire, and the 

 results of this work have been embodied in " Beitrage zur Kenntniss 

 der japanischeri Landwirthschaft " and " Ueber die landwirthschaft- 

 lichen Verhaltnisse Japan's und die Kolonization Hokkaido's etc." 



The various analyses required by the Agronomical Section are 

 carried out in its own laboratory. The Chemical Section therefore is 

 chiefly occupied in analysing the minerals and rocks and in assaying 

 the ores collected by the Geological Section. Analyses and tests are also 

 conducted, according to a fixed tariff, for the benefit of the public, and 

 materials of technical importance, such as potter's clay, kaolin, lubri- 

 cating oil, cement and building stone, are examined. Besides the 

 results published in the ordinary bulletins, this Section has issued 

 special reports on Japanese fireclays, coals, Hmestones, cements, 

 indigoes, lacquer and lubricating oils. 



The staff employed in carrying out the multifarious operations of 

 the Geological Survey is constituted as follows: — exclusive of the 

 director and of the adviser of the Agronomical Section, 4 Topo- 

 graphers, 6 Geologists, 10 Agronomists and g Chemists. Besides 

 these there are 10 Cartographers and many subordinate assistants. 

 The time allotted for field work during each year is four months, 

 during which time it is reckoned that a single geologist can survey 

 one sheet, and a single agronomist half the area of a prefecture. 

 Among others of the staff to whom I had the honour of being pre- 

 sented, my thariks are especially due to Mr. Kochibe, the learned 

 chief of the Geological Section, for much courteous help in my 

 enquiries and travels. 



Connected with the Geological Survey are two Museums. The 

 one, intended for the private use of the staff and for constant 

 reference, is in a large room at the office of the survey. A more 

 elaborate collection is displayed, for public instruction, at the head 

 office of the Department of Agriculture, and corresponds, at least in 

 intention, to our own Museum of Practical Geology. The geological 

 collections of more purely scientific interest are contained either in 

 the museum of the College of Science, which has already been 

 described, or in the geological department of the institution which 

 we have next to consider. 



F. A. Bather. 

 {To he continued.) 



