272 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. 2LIV. No. 1130 



Surplus gas to the extent of 84,356,000,000 

 cubic feet, valued at $8,625,000, was sold or 

 used. Of that quantity 17,196,000,000 feet was 

 used as illuminating gas, 27,591,000,000 feet 

 as domestic fuel, and 39,569,000,000 feet as 

 fuel for steam raising, open-hearth furnaces, 

 gas engines, and other industrial purposes. 

 These by-products, which had a total value of 

 $29,824,579, were obtained by the carboniza- 

 tion of 19,500,000 tons of coal, from which 

 was also obtained 14,000,000 tons of coke, 

 valued at $48,500,000. The total value of the 

 coke and by-products was more than $78,- 

 300,000. 



The production of bituminous coal and an- 

 thracite in the United States in 1915 amounted 

 to 531,619,487 short tons, valued at $686,691,- 

 186, an increase, compared with 1914, of 18,- 

 094,010 tons or 3.5 per cent., in quantity, and 

 of $5,200,543, or 0.8 per cent., in value, accord- 

 ing to C. E. Lesher, of the United States Geo- 

 logical Survey. Of this total output, 442,624,- 

 426 short tons, valued at $502,037,688, was bi- 

 tuminous coal and lignite, and 88,995,061 tons, 

 valued at $184,653,498, was Pennsylvania 

 anthracite. Pennsylvania, with an output of 

 157,955,137 tons of bituminous coal and 88,- 

 995,061 short tons of anthracite, ranks first 

 among the coal-producing states. West Vir- 

 ginia, with a production of 77,184,069 tons; 

 Illinois, with 58,829,576 tons; Ohio, with 22,- 

 434,691 tons, and Kentucky, with 21,361,674 

 tons, follow in order of production. Thirty 

 states and the territory of Alaska contributed 

 to the total, of which number 13 states and 

 Alaska had increased production, and 17 had 

 decreased production, compared with 1914. To 

 produce this coal, 734,008 men were employed 

 for an average of 209 days. 



The second Interstate Cereal Conference 

 will be held at the University of Minnesota, 

 University Farm, St. Paul, July 11, 12 and 13. 

 At this conference there will be a discussion 

 of the various phases of cereal research re- 

 lating to the region of which St. Paul may be 

 considered the center. The program will in- 

 clude papers on problems of wheat, oats, 

 barley and flax production in the Northwest; 

 the grading of barley and corn; breeding 

 winter wheats for Minnesota; ergot of rye; 



methods for the eradication of bunt or stink- 

 ing smut; problems in flax diseases, and a 

 symposium on milling and baking. Two days 

 will be devoted to the presentation and dis- 

 cussion of papers. The third day will be used 

 in an inspection of the plant work of the 

 Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station 

 and of one of the local flour mills. 



Receipts from national forests for the fiscal 

 year 1916 reached the high-water mark of ap- 

 proximately $2,820,000, according to figures 

 just compiled. This is $341,000 above the 1915 

 total, which in turn exceeded any previous year. 

 Officials say that the gain was due to in- 

 creased demand for all classes of forest prod- 

 ucts. There was a decided growth in the rev- 

 enue from all sources, the largest being that 

 of $203,000 in timber sales. Grazing fees 

 showed a gain of $77,000. Eeceipts for water 

 power development were over $12,000 more than 

 for 1915. Sales of turpentine privileges and 

 charges for special uses were both consider- 

 ably in excess of the previous year. The Na- 

 tional forests are important factors in the 

 prosperity of the regions in which they are 

 located, on account of the large amounts of 

 timber, range and other resources which they 

 hold available for use as needed. Business 

 conditions are reflected in the receipts of the 

 forests. Consequently the showing for the 

 past year is regarded as an index of increased 

 business activity throughout the sections where 

 the national forests are found. 



UNIVERSITY AND EDUCATIONAL 

 NEWS 



Columbia University has received $100,000 

 from Mr. James 1ST. Jarvie, the banker, for 

 the new dental school, plans for which were 

 announced last spring. 



The Municipal University of Akron is about 

 to erect an engineering laboratory at the cost 

 of $50,000, provided by a bond issue of the 

 city. The new library building, erected at a 

 cost of $40,000, is now open for use. 



Princeton University announces that Octo- 

 ber 26 has been set aside as the day for the 

 laying of the corner stone of the handsome 

 new student dining halls, now being erected at 

 the corner of Nassau Street and University 



