Personal and Scientific News. 389 
gramme contained a long list of papers on various subjects- 
In Entomology, the paper of Prof. Snow, of the State Uni- 
versity on the propagation of a fungoidal disease amongst 
chinch bugs, and the wide spread destruction of the pests ap- 
parently resulting therefrom, elicited considerable discussion 
in which Dr. Kelierman and Prof. Popenoe of the State Agri- 
cultural College, took part. Future seasons will have to de- 
termine whether this year's results, are general, or owing to 
special conditions. In electricity professor Blake outlined 
the principle of a micro-telephonic apparatus, by which sound 
signals may be conveyed under water to ships at sea or from 
ship to ship at a distance of upwards of two miles. In oth- 
er departments of science many papers of more than technical 
interest were read but in geology the papers were few, though 
several on minerals and mining attracted much attention. 
Hon. J. R. Mead of Wichita had an interesting account of placer 
gold-mining in Montana and Dr. Newton of Oswego, sent a 
paper on some glacial (?) strife in southern Kansas which 
places on record some valuable observations even though its 
conclusions be not taken without reservation. Prof. Cragin 
had some titles of interest on the Comanche Cretaceous, etc. 
but owing to his late arrival the papers were not read. Prof. 
Hay, who has recently been investigating several groups of 
artesian wells with special reference to their availability for ir- 
rigation, had a paper on the causes of the flow of these wells. 
While attributing most of them to the ordinary cause of arte- 
sian wells, the writer gave examples in which the column of 
water is held up to the point of overflow by inflow of gas. 
Others were given in which the flow of tlie wells, which is in 
each case small and the depth considerable, Avas attributed to 
rock pressure, rather than to gas or hydrostatic pressure. The 
last day of the session was given to an excursion to Kingman, 
forty-five miles )vest of Wichita where salt-making processes 
were examined at three plants, and the salt mine was visited, 
though, owing to temporary disarrangement of the machinery, 
no one could descend ; yet the party secured abundance of 
specimens of the rock salt which has been brought from an 
eleven foot vein at a depth of 800 feet. The entire session of 
the Academy was a success, not the least successful part being 
the public lecture on the chemical components of the human 
body by the president, Prof. D. H. Dinsmore of the State 
Normal College. Prof. Failyer of the Agricultural College is 
the president elect. 
The irrigation problem in Dakota has been the subject of 
a review by Prof. Culver, of the Dakota University. Two 
plans were considered, that of artesian wells and that of a 
system of canals fed by the Missouri river. It appears that 
large areas in South Dakota can be irrigated by artesian water. 
The Sioux quartzyte, that underlies Union, Clay, Lincoln, 
