Boundaries of the United States

raising or not. The mining and manufacturing industries will be stimulated by the opportunities of utilizing the mineral wealth which now lies dorment because of the scarcity of labor and the high prices of food stuffs. But more than all, opportunities will be offered for the establishment of prosperous homes on the national domain. The law is so drawn as to encourage the making of small farms and to prevent the monopolization of lands. Not more than 160 acres in the hands of one person can receive water from the Government works; and every effort is made to promote settlement in small tracts by men who will obtain their living from the cultivation of the soil.

Bringing to the West and establishing on small tracts thousands of industrious farmers will mean prosperity not merely to the individuals directly concerned, but to the manufacturing, jobbing, and transporting interests of the whole country. These farmers purchase their supplies from the East, and for every self-supporting home on the public domain there must be an increased demand for labor in the mills and factories of the East.

For reports by the reclamation service, see the Survey's list of publications.

PUBLICATION BRANCH.

EDITORIAL DIVISION.

Though the literary and cartographic output of the United States Geological Survey has now become large, exceeding that of most other Government bureaus, its publications during the first few years following the establishment of the Survey, in 1879, were, naturally, not numerous; the appropriations and the organization were small, and time was necessary for work and investigations to progress to a stage sufficiently advanced to justify publication. During those early years editorial supervision was exercised by the Director and the chief clerk. By the year 1884, however, the amount of manuscript currently submitted had grown so large that these officers could no longer perform this work in addition to their other duties. In that year, therefore, an editor was appointed, and since then there has been maintained in the Survey an editorial corps, which has been strengthened and specialized as necessity arose.

At first the publications consisted almost wholly of books and pamphlets-annual reports and a few monographs and bulletins; but it was not long until the topographic maps ready for engraving had become so numerous that they demanded systematic editorial supervision; and a few years later, when sufficient geologic information had been acquired to warrant the issue of the first folios of the Geologic Atlas of the United States, they too required technical editorial oversight. Moreover, the publications of the Survey necessarily contain numerous illustrations of topographic, geologic, and other phenomena and principles, and the preparation of drawings, sketches, maps, and

photographic views for these requires the services of skilled draftsmen and photographers. The editorial division of the Survey therefore comprises five sections, whose work relates to texts, topographic maps, geologic maps, illustrations, and photography.

Section of Texts.

In the section of texts there are now employed five personseditor and four assistants. To them is assigned the supervision of all matter to be put in type, after it has been transmitted by the author and approved by the Director for publication. The ordinary work of the section falls into three classes (1) preparation of manuscripts for printing; (2) correction of proofs, and (3) making of indexes.

(1) All papers are carefully read in this section, typographic details are indicated for the printer's guidance, and an attempt is made to improve the literary character of the paper if it is not already good. The work of this section therefore relates chiefly to literary expression and form the "dress" of thought rather than the ideas themselves— and to the mechanical details connected with printing and bookmaking. Papers are supposed to be appropriate for publication, sufficient in substance, and scientifically valid before they are approved by the Director; if he has any doubt that a paper is satisfactory in these respects he refers it to a specialist for criticism, and does not approve it for publication until it is pronounced worthy. Nevertheless, the editor and his assistants are expected to be watchful for errors of fact as well as for faults of expression. When a manuscript has been thus prepared for printing, and the drawings, photographs, etc. (if any are to be used), illustrating features treated in the paper are ready for reproduction, the whole is transmitted to the Secretary of the Interior, who forwards it to the Public Printer, the official in charge of the great Government Printing Office. In that office all the work on the text is done, but, under the law, the illustrations are reproduced by private parties through the system of competitive bids.

(2) With proofs the ordinary practice is followed. Comparison of galley proof with the manuscript, with the aid of a reader, is carefully made at the Government Printing Office, and that labor is not usually duplicated by the Survey editors. They either read critically or examine carefully the galley proof, and then transmit it to the author, who is expected to do the same. It is then returned to the printer, the necessary corrections are made in the types, the matter is made up in page form, and page proof is sent to the Survey. This is carefully read by a member of the textual section—if practicable by one who did not read the manuscript or the galley proof-and is then submitted to the author, in order that he may be assured that all the important changes he desired have been made, and that he may have another opportunity to make important corrections if they involve only slight disturbance of the types. This first page proof is then

returned to the printer, the corrections are made, and a second and final page proof is sent to the Survey. This also is submitted to the author if he is in or near Washington, but it is not his privilege to make further changes.

(3) When the proof reading has been finished it is necessary in most cases to prepare an index to the paper. Occasionally an author prefers to make the index, but usually he is more than willing that this tedious work should be done in the Survey office. A good index is held in high esteem by scientific men, and a large part of the energy of the textual force goes into index making. Besides the detailed indexes to the individual papers, the textual section prepares and publishes a catalogue and general index of all the Survey publications.

In addition to the work noted in the foregoing paragraphs, which relates to the regular series of publications-annual reports (Director's, mineral resources, reclamation service), monographs, professional papers, bulletins, water-supply and irrigation papers, and geologic folios-the textual section edits and reads the proof of all office and field circulars and printed forms, which are numerous.

The following summarized list of the publications of the Survey, by years, affords a conspectus of the literary output and of the growth thereof during the existence of the Survey:

Publications of the United States Geological Survey, by years.