80 SioKO) City Academy of Science and Letters. 



and defining its work; jet in South Dakota no misunder- 

 standing can occur. The law is plain and the objects 

 are clear. In fact the entire fields of geology and natu- 

 ral history are open to its investigations, special mention 

 being made of the minerals, as all ores, along with such 

 non-metallic products as building stone, clays, soils, 

 cements, salt, coals, gas and waters. 



Under the investigation of the Flora of the state the 

 legislature asks for work along lines of the grasses, 

 plants, shrubs and trees. This has been done more 

 especially by the men of the Agricultural College. The 

 law also calls for a study of the mammals, birds, reptiles, 

 fishes and insects of the state. 



The problem with this survey is not to determine in 

 what field we are expected to work, but just what sort 

 of investigation will be most valuable in consideration 

 of the vast amount which might be done, and the very 

 limited means granted by the legislature for the execu- 

 tion of the same. 



What any certain state survey should do is always 

 dependent upon the natural resources of the state and 

 their degree of development. But what a state survey 

 can do is also dependent upon the resources of that sur- 

 vey in men and money. 



As a rule, one might be safe in judging that funds 

 are appropriated with the view of the utilitarian devel- 

 opment of the resources of the state. No one will ques- 

 tion the appropriateness of such an aim. Especiallj^ in 

 the new and undeveloped states. 



It should be the first duty of the survey to make an 

 exploration of the state in such detail as to discover the 

 important economic products, the use of which would 

 bring to the people of the state either comfort or con- 

 venience. This would, at the same time, increase the 

 wealth of the counties and decrease their taxes. 



This exploration does not simply mean the discov- 

 ery of valuable mineral wealth, but an investigation of 

 the ore bodies, the coal seams, the clay beds, the cement 

 deposits, the building stones, the oil fields, the gas belts 

 and the artesian well areas, so that there need not be 

 such a waste of time and money in useless efforts to find 

 these valuable minerals on the one hand, nor upon the 



