WARD’S NATURAL SCIENCE BULLETIN. 
5 
BORAX. 
Borax Lake, in California, is a shallow pool, 
with neither inlet nor outlet, the water of which 
is intensely alkaline.- After an exceptionally 
wet season its length is about oue and a half 
miles, with a depth of eight or ten feet. But 
after an unusually dry season, it sometimes con- 
tains no water at all, the bottom being covered 
with saline crustations. The average length 
of the lake, however, is three quarters of a mile 
with a depth of four feet. 
The bottom of this lake was found, on its dis- 
covery in 1856, to contain Borax crystals in most 
astonishing numbers. These crystals being tested, 
were found to be equal to the best refined borax, 
being pure biborate of soda. 
The mud which constitutes the bottom of this 
lake is smooth, plastic clay, of unknown depth. 
For from four and a half to five feet from the top 
it holds innumerable crystals, but at that depth 
they suddenly cease to exist. The crystals are 
removed by means of coffer-dams, each dam con- 
sisting of a box without top or bottom, four feet 
square and ten deep, made of thin boiler iron. 
These dams are suspended above water by being 
placed between large pontoons or flats. Being 
allowed to drop suddenly, the force of the descent 
drives the sharp bottom down through the soft 
mud, into that which is sufficiently firm to 
resist the impact, thus rendering the iron walls 
a true coffer-dam. 
From these the water is first pumped until it 
becomes too thick to flow easily, the remain- 
ing mud being lifted in tubs or buckets and 
thrown into troughs, being subject to constant 
agitation in streams of the lake water, until it is 
washed, the borax always being retained by its 
specific gravity. No crystals are obtained until 
twelve or fifteen inches of the most fluid mud 
has been pumped away. At this depth are to be 
found multitudes of minute perfect crystals of 
borax. These crystals, like all in the lake, are 
lying loose, attached to nothing, and perfectly 
terminated at both ends; with every descending- 
inch the size of the crystals increase, when twen- 
ty-four or thirty iuches of surface mud has been 
removed, crystals are to be found from one- 
quarter to one-lialf inch long, in one or more 
layers. These layers being so closely packed as to 
have no mud intermingled with them, the speci- 
mens being nearly as clean as though they had 
been recently washed in clear water. A layer 
is from one to four inches thick, and two feet, 
more or less, in length, surrounded on all sides 
by mud, containing only a few crystals here 
and there. Going deeper, the crystals become 
more scarce, and the mud is more dense, until a 
stratum is reached which is designated blue clay. 
Immediately above the blue clay, crystals from 
one to two inches long are very common. Here, 
also, a change in the crystal itself is shown, 
as well marked as the change in the bed in which 
they lie. In the bed small crystals are not to 
be found. Instead of these, lay imbedded scat- 
tered crystals, few in number, but of large size, 
although having a common family look. Few of 
them are as small as tvro inches in length, and not 
unfrequently those weighing one pound are to be 
found, being from five to seven inches long, and 
two inches wide. They lie imbedded in the clay, 
which is so firm that when they are picked out sin- 
gly a clear mold of the crystal is left in the clay. 
These larger crystals are all found within a 
little more than a foot from the surface of the 
blue clay. Below this depth none are to be 
found either large or small. 
In the portion of the lake in which the borax 
crystals are found, a space of about forty acres, 
some idea may be obtained from the fact that nine 
hundred pounds have been removed from one 
coffer-dam, and this does not represent the full 
amount, as all the small crystals are washed back 
into the lake, in the process of separating them 
from the mud. 
These crystals have a decidedly green color, 
are free from all tenacious coatings, and are 
readily and perfectly soluable in hot water, and 
in process of solution and recry stalization, yield 
their full weight in transparent borax of finest 
quality, less merely the weight of mud that had 
been mechauically entangled during their growth 
in a muddy menstrum. The green color entirely 
disappears in the refining process. H. L. P. 
MINERAL COLLECTIONS. 
The utility of object teaching is now no longer 
questioned. In all branches of Natural History 
the material for ocular demonstration is indispen- 
sable, and in no department has this come to be 
more fully recognized than in Mineralogy and 
Geology. But what is wanted is not merely a 
haphazard gathering of miscellaneous fragments, 
but typical characteristic series, systematically 
arranged, and varying in extent with the amount 
of time to be devoted to the subject and the thor- 
oughness with which it is to be pursued. Such 
collections are properly the work of a lifetime if 
each specimen is gathered singly, as is apt to be 
the case, unless unusual facilities are available, 
facilities generally possessed only by national 
museums, and not always even by them. 
In order to secure the right kind of material, 
many things are requisite. There must be a host 
of correspondents in all quarters of the globe, 
who must be more or less familiar with the ma- 
terial required, and these correspondents must be 
stimulated by the hope of pecuniary gain ; there 
must be leisure for personal collecting trips to 
distant regions not supplied with collectors: 
there must be experience to know what kind of 
specimens to get and what to reject ; and there 
must be the necessary means to undertake all 
this. Furthermore, it must be followed system- 
atically — in other words — as a business. It is by 
a knowledge and observance of the foregoing, that 
we are enabled to offer to teachers and others a 
class of material not obtainable elsewhere, and 
we would call their attention to our three collec- 
tions in Mineralogy, each of different scope, 
which we call — indicating their range — the Col- 
lege Collection, the Academy Collection, 
and the Collection for Union Schools, re- 
spectively. Of these, the first is naturally the 
most complete, its 280 specimens covering the 
grouud evenly and fully, and further supple- 
mented by a series of 50 crystal models and a set 
of 40 imitation precious stones, showing the 
principal minerals employed in jewelry. The 
specimens are all numbered to correspond with 
a printed descriptive catalogue accompanying 
the collection, accurately labelled, and each 
specimen mounted on a black walnut block. In 
the case of single detached crystals, these are 
similiarly mounted, supported on special brass 
holders; the precious stones are in a neat case by 
themselves. This collection we supply packed, 
ready for delivery, at $250. 
In the Academy Collection the specimens 
number 180, distributed as follows: 
Elements 8 
Sulphides, etc 14 
Chlorides and flourides 6 
Oxides 45 
Silicates 64 
Phosphates, etc 8 
Sulphates 10 
Carbonates 18 
Hydrocarbons 10 
The classification adopted in this, as in all our 
mineral collections, is that of Dana’s System of 
Mineralogy. This collection mounted same as 
the preceding, $100. 
Our Union School Collection contains 120 
good sized specimens of such minerals as every 
well informed person should be acquainted with, 
and is not to be confounded with the fragment 
gatherings so often passing as “School Cabinets.” 
It is mounted in the same style as the previous 
two, and supplied complete for $50. 
While these collections are primarily intended 
for use, the fact has not been overlooked that 
beauty is not necessarily incompatible with this 
object, and hence, where it was possible to have 
the latter without sacrificing the former, we have 
sought to combine both, and can safely say that 
no more attractive ornaments for a school room 
could be chosen than these series make. 
Besides the above standard collections, we 
prepare others, larger and smaller, arranged ac- 
cording to any system or author preferred, and at 
any price. Send for our catalogue, price 20 cents. 
STIBNITE FROM JAPAN. 
We lately received a second large shipment of 
boxes from Japan, and among the various speci- 
mens were the finest crystalized Stibnites it has 
ever been our pleasure to see. There were masses 
weighing from 10 to 26 pounds, that are com- 
posed wholly of beautiful bright crystals, many 
of which show very interesting modifications, and 
nearly all with perfect terminations. Besides the 
large perfect crystals there are scattered here and 
there through the mass fine congeries of smaller 
ones, radiating in all directions. 
One specimen has a length of two feet, in 
which some of the crystals are a foot and a half 
long, while they average from half an inch to one 
and a half inches in diameter. Many of them are 
beautifully luminated, while the sides are so bright 
that the specimen makes quite a respectable mirror. 
Another mass of crystals weighing 22 pounds, 
is 10 inches on each side by 6 inches thick, and is 
composed almost entirely of terminated crystals 
ranging in size from a quarter of an inch to 2 
inches in diameter. 
A third large specimen weighs over 26 pounds. 
Its whole surface is a net work of small crystals 
running into and crossing each other, these being 
attached to the larger crystals that form the back- 
ground of the specimen. 
Beside the above we have numerous small spec- 
imens showing well terminated crystals. 
We last week sent a box of these Stibnites to 
C. S. Bement of Philadelphia, to add to many 
like fine things which we have contributed to- 
ward his grand cabinet of minerals. In acknowl- 
edging receipt of the box Mr. Bement says: 
“ I have received your magnificent Stibnites 
and vanadinitefe. These certainly go ahead of 
anything which I have ever seen or dreamed of! 
You may w 7 ell say that these are the finest in the 
world. The noted series in the museum of Pesth 
from Hungary are in no way to be compared with 
these magnificent crystalizations. I had before 
received some specimens of the same from Mr. 
, but your two groups go ahead of any- 
thing which I ever heard of. Your prices also are 
reasonable.” 
This letter from so experienced a collector of 
minerals, comes in pleasant confirmation of the 
testimony of Dr. Joseph Leidy of Philadeldhia, 
as expressed in a letter which he wrote to Prof. 
Ward last October, after his visit here — in com- 
pany with some other gentlemen — to purchase 
specimens in various departments for Swatlimore 
College and the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences. 
Speaking of our mineral department. Dr. Leidy 
says: “ Mr. Bement, as well as I, was much pleased 
'with your choice collection of minerals. We know 
of none equaling it in this country, either in quality 
or in reasonableness of price.” 
We have still some of these fine Stibnites left, 
as well as many hundreds of other specially choice 
mineral species and varieties. Mineralogists and 
collectors will do well to give us an early call. 
METEORITES. 
We have still on hand a few large slices, of the 
Virginia Meteorite, ( Fall of 1858 or 1859), range- 
ing in size from four inches by four inches to six 
inches by nine inches, for from $80 to $60. Some 
of which show Troilites that are over two inches 
in diameter; can also furnish smaller slices etched 
for from $2 to $10. Turnings for 75 cents per oz. 
Of the Coliahuila ive have slices four and one- 
half inches by seven and one-lialf inches, that we 
can furnish for from $25 to $35. Smaller slices 
for from $2 to $6. Turnings 30 cents per oz. Of 
the Mocs Meteorite which fell February 3d, 1883, 
near Kolazsvar, Kausenburg, Hungary, we have 
specimens weighing from one to twenty-three 
ounces for from $3 to $50. Can also supply spec- 
imens from the following localities: Bates Co., 
Mo.; Estlierville, Iowa, "Tolucca, Mexico; Wa- 
conda, Kansas; Guernsey Co., Ohio; Iowa Co., 
Iowa; Putulsk. 
