ANNIVERSARY ADDRESS. 27 



economic insect collections. The collection of scale insects, which 

 has been lately enriched by an aquisition from the Entomological 

 Division of the U. S. Department of Agriculture, is the largest 

 named series in Australia. 



Pathology. — The scope of the work of the pathologist is well 

 represented in the publications marked on the back of the pamphlet 

 on the sheep-fluke. It may be said that each year we are learn- 

 ing very much more about the exact qualities of the various 

 varieties of wheat, knowledge which promises to be of much value 

 to the great wheat industry of the world. The pamphlet on 

 abandoned orchards has done something towards awakening 

 public opinion on the subject of plant diseases and assisted in 

 obtaining the new measure now in force. The experiment work 

 on the relation of manures to wheat growing are now complete, 

 and will prove of great value to the dry wheat growing districts 

 of Australasia. Most of these articles have been reviewed or 

 reprinted in toto in leading European and American Journals. 

 Larger and more important works are now in press embodying 

 also the work of 1897. 



Mining Notes for 1897. — Although every branch of metalliferous 

 mining in New South Wales has been fairly active during the 

 year, special attention has been directed to the working of, and to 

 the search for payable copper lodes. The price of this metal has 

 considerably increased during the year, due doubtless to the exten- 

 sion in the use of electricity as a traction power, and the consequent 

 increased demand for pure copper wire. The Cobar, Nyngan 

 and Captain's Flat districts contain the most extensive cupriferous 

 lodes yet discovered in the colony. The introduction of the Water 

 Jacket Furnace in copper smelting operations has been a feature 

 of the year. Large metallurgical plants have been erected at 

 Cockle Creek and Illawarra. The Broken Hill Proprietary Co. 

 has also erected smelting works at Port Pirie, and the Govern- 

 ment small, but complete metallurgical works at the Clyde, to 

 which the cyanide process has recently been added. The action 

 of the Government in resisting the attempt to create a cyanide 



