REPORT OF THE STATE GEOLOGIST. XXXI 



analyses and carried on other necessary laboratory work in the Survey 

 laboratory. 



Mr. P. S. Tilson continued the work of soil analysis, to which were 

 added a number of East Texas iron ores, until the last of July, when 

 he tendered his resignation as Chemist to the Survey to accept the po- 

 sition of Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical College of Texas. 



Upon his resignation such material and apparatus as was the property 

 of the Geological Survey at the laboratory of the Agricultural and Me- 

 chanical College was brought to Austin, and the chemical work was 

 all concentrated in our own laboratory. 



On Mr. Herndon's return from the field he again resumed charge of 

 the laboratory, and he and Mr. Magnenat have had the entire work 

 since that time. 



A general statement of the work of the year is given in another place. 

 It has been almost entirely analytical, and little time was available for 

 any original work, although there are many questions of interest which 

 await investigation in connection with the ores and other materials col- 

 lected. 



LIBRARY. 



I have added to our reference library as many books as I could bear- 

 ing directly upon our work, but it is still very incomplete. Even the 

 sets of Geological Reports of the various States and the different United 

 States Surveys are still incomplete, and the Transactions of the numerous 

 Scientific Associations are either unrepresented or present only in de- 

 tached numbers. Numerous exchanges are arranged for, and further 

 purchases will be made as rapidly as the appropriation will admit. Our 

 distance from all public libraries renders the building up of one of our 

 own a prime necessity. 



MUSEUM. 



There has been little change in the Museum. The difficulty of secur- 

 ing suitable field assistants for the character of work wanted compelled 

 me to use all the force in the field, and in consequence there was no one 

 to take up the Museum work ; Mr. McCulloch, to whom it had been 

 assigned in January, having been fully engaged in assisting me in read- 

 ing the proof of the First Annual Report and other office work until 

 just before his resignation from the Survey. It is intended to improve 



