158 MINUTES OP MEETINGS. 



was of great interest to the State, and should enlist the 

 attention of every scientific man. 



He presented the following resolution : 



Resolved.) That a committee of three be appointed to draft 

 a petition to the Legislature, praying for the passage of the 

 Bill presented in the Senate of Ohio, by Mr. Canfield, 

 authorizing a Geological Survey of the State, and that said 

 petition be signed in the name of the Academy by its 

 officers, and sent to our Senator or Representative for pre- 

 sentation. 



On being seconded, the President said: 



That it gave him great pleasure to give this resolution 

 his support, and would say that after a careful perusal of 

 the Bill, he was convinced that it was by far the best drafted 

 Bill ever presented to our Legislature for the purpose spe- 

 cified. As a member of the corps that undertook the survey 

 of the State under the old Bill, passed many years ago, he 

 understood the difficulties and objectionable features of the 

 old Bill, and all others presented since that time ; but, by 

 the arrangement proposed in Mr. Canfield's Bill, these 

 objections are entirely obviated. There can be no time 

 more auspicious for the organization of a Geological Survey 

 than the present. It would develope the hidden resources 

 of our State, by bringing to light deposits of iron, coal and 

 other minerals, which would be of incalculable benefit to 

 the community in supplying labor to our population and 

 increasing the aggregate income of the State. The analyza- 

 tion of soils would supply the farmer with that knowledge 

 so desirable in agriculture, the application of the proiDer 

 manures to particular soils, and enable him to raise good 

 crops on land now almost or entirely barren. The discov- 

 ery of marl beds, in different parts of the State, and which 

 such a survey would doubtless bring to light, would supply 

 the material from which to raise wheat crops in many sec- 

 tions now unable to raise this most useful of the cereals in 

 sufiicient quantity to meet the home demand. 



