a nt a cll MEE TEBE

432 ASSOCIATED SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTIONS

of 1897. The president of the University has regularly been the president
of the commissioners of the Survey and Dean E. A. Birge was its director
from the beginning until 1919, when, as president of the University, he
became one of the commissioners. The offices and laboratories of the Sur-
vey are in university buildings.

The Survey was at first organized in two divisions—Geology and Nat-
ural History; the Legislature of 1909 added a third division by establishing
a Soil Survey of the state. From the first much attention was given to
highways and a Highway Division was organized in 1907; active work in
this field was carried on until 1911, when the legislature created the High-
way Commission and made the State Geologist one of its members.

The Geology Division was in charge of Dr. W. O. Hotchkiss from 1906
to 1925; since that date Mr. E. F. Bean has been State Geologist. This is
the largest division of the Survey and has issued numerous maps and re-
ports on the general and economic geology of the state. It has investigated
also such subjects as water power, underground waters, peat, and clays.
At present, work is being done on the Keeweenawan rocks of northern Wis-
consin, where copper is the chief mineral possibility. Careful surveys are
made of materials available for road construction, with a success which has
been worth to the state many hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.
The study of underground waters has made the Survey an authority on the
supply of water from artesian wells. Topographic maps of the state which
are necessary for all engineering undertakings, are being made in coopera-
tion with the United States Geological Survey. The geography and physi-
cal geography of the state have been studied, and numerous bulletins have
shown the connection between the geological and the social history of the
several regions of Wisconsin.

The Soils Division is carrying on a survey which will result in a com-
plete soil map of the state. The work, which is in charge of Professor A. R.
Whitson, is done in cooperation with the United States Department of Agri-
culture and the College of Agriculture of the University. Soils are studied
with reference to their best agricultural use and the fertilizer and other
treatment necessary to make them most productive, including a study of the
limestones, marls, and by-products from manufacturing plants available as
a source of lime. Special attention is given the adaptability of particular
soils to special crops such as potatoes, tobacco, and canning crops. Numer-
ous maps and bulletins showing the nature and distribution of the types of
soils and their agricultural uses have been published. A reconnaissance
survey of the northern part of the state has been completed and detailed
county surveys covering a large part of the southern half of the state have
been made. A general map and report on the soils of the state was pub-
lished in 1927.

The Natural History Division is in immediate charge of Dr. Birge,
President-Emeritus of the University. It has issued numerous bulletins on
specific topics relating to the botany and zoology of the state. Its main
continuous work has been on the inland lakes. Many hydrographic maps
have been made, as well as studies of the temperatures of the lakes, the
chemical composition of their waters, and the plants and animals inhabiting
them. The main problem to which all these studies lead is that of the
nature and quantity of the fundamental food supply of the lakes, its varia-
tion with season and year, and the resulting economic value of the lakes.

During the summer months the Survey employs university students as
assistants in field work. This arrangement enables students to gain prac-
tical experience during their university careers. The close cooperative re-
lationship existing between the University and the Survey is very valuable
to both.