500 SCIENCE. 
committee. The latter, with Senator Low of 
Orange county as chairman, made a vigorous 
campaign, gave public hearings at Albany and 
New York, aroused popular interest, and sub- 
mitted an elaborate report. The investigation 
was extremely one-sided throughout, and the 
facts were absurdly exaggerated and distorted ; 
as, for example, when it was seriously argued 
that the factory manipulation of butterine gen- 
erated loathsome diseases among employees, 
and that the extending use of imitation-butter 
caused an increase in the death-rate of New- 
York City. 
The main points brought out by the inquiry 
were these: that previous laws of restriction 
and regulation were ignored because no proper 
provision was made to execute them ; that while 
the imitations and adulterations of butter were 
generally known where handled in the whole- 
sale trade, and changed hands without decep- 
tion, although often unmarked, these articles 
were almost uniformly fraudulently retailed as 
real butter; that farmers and merchants, in- 
cluding exporters, believed the production and 
sales of genuine dairy-products to be suffering 
from the frauds ; that the later modes of manu- 
facture were less cleanly and healthful than 
when oleomargarine was first made ; that nitric 
acid and other objectionable substances were 
carelessly used in the newer processes; and 
that honest dairymen were being induced, un- 
der pressure of competition, to buy oleo-oil 
and ‘ neutral lard’ (deodorized low-grade fats) 
to extend the quantity of home-made dairy- 
products. 
Missouri is the only state which has, previ- 
ous to New York, adopted the policy of pro- 
hibition as a cure for dairy frauds. The result 
will be watched with interest. Although un- 
der active management, supported by popular 
prejudice, this extreme legislation has been se- 
cured almost unopposed, there are those who 
doubt its wisdom, both as regards cheap food, 
and the true dairy interests of the great dairy 
state. The matter is also being agitated in 
New Jersey and Pennsylvania. 
ATTENTION was called in one of our previous 
numbers to the difficulty experienced by the 
signal-service in securing young men, well 
trained in meteorology, for scientific work in 
the central office at Washington, on account of 
the lack of adequate instruction on this subject 
in our universities. Signal-service note, no. 
ix., prepared by Mr. Frank Waldo, after a 
year’s residence in Germany, on the study of 
meteorology in the higher schools of Germany, 
Switzerland, and Austria, shows how much 
more attention is there devoted to this growing 
subject, although in many universities or tech- 
nical schools it is taught only in an elementary 
way, or not at all. Such names as Hann, 
Oberbeck, Simony, Sohncke, Supan, Thiesen, 
Zoppritz, appear on the list here given; all of 
these professors giving original lectures. The 
chief reason for this latter point is, we may 
suppose, because no text-book has appeared 
which fully represents the present attitude of 
the new meteorology. In the absence of any 
serious modern treatise, articles in- scientific 
journals form the main source of the newer 
material not original with the instructor. 
Workers in this country may therefore con- 
gratulate themselves on the opportunity for 
technical publication and discussion now offered 
in the American meteorological journal lately 
announced. 
New Jersey is in a fair way to-be the first 
state in the Union provided with a good topo- 
graphical map. Abouta year ago we described 
the two sheets of the northern part of the 
state then issued. The considerable progress 
achieved since then is now detailed in our 
notes, together with the plans for the future. 
Professor Cook, director of the geological 
survey of New Jersey, states, in his recent 
annual report, that the topographical sheets 
already published have been very generally 
approved, and are now in demand for the lay- ii 
ing-out of water-supply and drainage works, — 
The work is one that — 
roads and railroads. 
New Jersey may well be proud of, and that 
other states must envy. 
[Vou. IIL, No. 64 
POPES Wm - H+ 
