1891.] MICROSCOPICAL JOURNAL. 93 



which business is being conducted in other lines, and against which 

 every honest heart must revolt. The whole profit, large as it is, is ab- 

 soi^bed by one or two persons. A few years ago in the lumber business 

 the profit was divided among several middlemen. Now, the lumber- 

 man spells his name in capitals, and clears the land, rafts his logs, builds 

 a village, owns it entirely, saws his logs, and not content with this, es- 

 tablishes in hundreds of towns retail yards, under a variety of names, 

 and gets retail prices. Every penny of profit from the tree to the retail 

 price goes into the lumberman's pocket. A very few in number con- 

 trol all yards west of Chicago. 



Perhaps no two things would seem farther removed from each other 

 than the microscope and the saw-log, but the business is getting to be 

 conducted upon the same principle in the one case as in the other. 



Were it not for dissuading some person from ever investing in the 

 line of microscopical goods, I would suggest the wisdom of buying an 

 entire outfit (exclusive of slides) at one time. The cost might stagger 

 one at first, but much money could be saved by so doing. I could have 

 saved $500 had I been wiser, and known what I know now. A be- 

 ginner often purchases accessories of no practical value, or accessories 

 which have a practical value in themselves, but not required in addition 

 to other accessories. Hence the need of advice apart from what the 

 dealer will give. 



But don't pay full prices if you can help it ; don't go to a drug store 

 and try every patent medicine advertised to cure your particular pain. 

 Get a physician on the start. Appoint him your guardian, and buy 

 what he prescribes. If you want to buy a microscope, make a selec- 

 tion, appoint a worthy guardian, and get him to tell you what, when, 

 how, or where to buy. 



MICROSCOPICAL SOCIETIES. 



Iron City Society, Pittsburgh, Pa. — J. Gordon Ogden, Reffr. 



Tuesday eve?iing^ Apr-il 14^ l8gi . — -The paper of the evening was 

 on "Bacteria" by Dr. E. G. Matson, and the subject was exhaust- 

 ively treated. The best modes of cultivating the different kinds of 

 Bacteria were discussed and practically illustrated. The paper was 

 listened to by a very large audience. 



At the December meeting of the Society a paper on the " Cray- 

 Fish," illustrated with many drawings and specimens, was read by 

 J. Gordon Ogden, Ph. D. At the March meeting Prof. F. C. Phillips 

 read a paper entitled "• Some Recent Problems in Water Supply." The 

 paper was based upon experiments made by Prof. Phillips in the rivers 

 near Pittsburgh, and proved that most of the nitrogenous matter from 

 the sewage of the cities of Pittsburgh and Allegheny was oxidized before 

 it reached a point six miles below the cities. 



The membership of the Society has been increasing rapidly, and 

 through a recent purchase from Mr. C. C. Mellor we have now one of 

 the finest libraries on Microscopy and allied sciences to be found in 

 the country. 



