88  World's  Columbian  Exposition,  etc.  {^y^Iw?™™' 
recently  been  found  that  the  cacti  growing  at  different  altitudes 
vary  widely  as  to  their  general  structure;  that  those,  for  instance, 
growing  in  high  altitudes  possess  a  finer  grain  than  the  same  speci- 
mens growing  in  the  valleys.  The  wood  of  the  former  being  more 
compact  and  not  so  porous  has  been  found  to  be  admirably  adapted 
to  the  manufacture  of  a  variety  of  ornamental  articles.  For  man- 
ner of  treatment  of  wood,  etc.,  see  Scientific  American. 
The  exhibit  of  New  South  Wales  was  large  and  instructive.  The 
Technological  Museum,  under  the  direction  of  J.  H.  Maiden  having 
arranged  every  exhibit  with  full  descriptions  and  applications.  In 
this  manner  were  displayed  the  economic  plants,  the  substances  used 
as  food  chiefly  by  the  Aborigines,  gums,  resins  and  kinos  from 
indigenous  plants,  tan  barks,  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  barks  of 
economic  value,  indigenous  fibres,  galls  and  specimens  of  Australian 
economic  entomology. 
There  was  also  a  case  of  fibres  handsomely  mounted,  20  fine  illus- 
trations, 10  x  12  inches,  very  faithfully  colored,  from  a  forthcoming 
work  on  North  American  fleshy  fungi,  by  Farlow,  and  a  set  of  the 
published  writings  of  Dr.  Gray. 
In  the  department  of  pharmacognosy  the  Pharmacy  Department 
of  the  University  of  Michigan,  was  the  only  institution  that  endeav- 
ored to  show  to  the  world  the  work  she  was  doing.  I  was  much 
impressed  with  her  display  of  herbarium  specimens  of  plants  in 
connection  with  commercial  samples  of  the  various  parts  employed 
in  medicine.  In  a  similar  manner  were  displayed  many  of  our 
prominent  plant  drugs,  as  rheum,  kola,  mate,  guarana,  tea,  coffee, 
guaiac,  cubebs,  nux  vomica,  ignatia,  etc.,  with  their  chemical  con- 
stituents.   A  capital  "  kindergarten  "  idea  for  a  student's  museum. 
Coming  to  the  State  Buildings,  we  find  that  many  of  them  were 
not  erected  for  exhibition  purposes,  but  simply  a  kind  of  a  club 
house  for  the  use  of  both  men  and  women.  Some  few,  however, 
were  exceedingly  energetic,  and  their  displays  were  not  only  inter- 
esting but  instructive.  Illinois,  being  in  a  sense,  the  host  of  the 
Exposition,  had  by  far  the  most  portentious  structure.  It  was  con- 
structed almost  entirely  of  the  products  of  Illinois.  The  agricul- 
tural exhibit  is  very  large.  Upon  one  of  the  walls  was  a  most 
ingenious  work  of  art.  It  consisted  of  a  typical  farm  scene,  with 
houses,  animals,  fields,  crops,  workmen,  etc.,  made  from  the  products 
of  the  State.    The  whole  gives  the  idea  of  an  oil  painting,  so  per- 
