Lansing

Lanbiso, April 4, 1879. Again have the overworked and thoroughly exhausted operatives in the State law f actory voted themselves i vacation, this time to the evening of April 9, in order to attend the election on Monday. The fact that it takes them a week to get their ballots in while ordinary mortals discharge that patriotic duty in a day, only indicates the deliberation which eharacterizes every act of the legislative mind. The ticket like any other document must of course be received, reported upon, amended, recommitted, re-reported, discussed in comrnittee of the whole, lost, rrconsidered.tabled, called up, and sent on the rounds again before it can be finally passed into the box on the order of third reading, and of course all this requires much time and study on the part of the careful legislator to make sure that be does not iinally vote' his railroad pass instead of his party ticket. PETITIONS ONCE MOKE. Th eréis still no abatement in the flood of petitions which come pouring in for bilis, passed.present and to come. To Senator Ilodge the indefatigable statistician of suchmatters, I am again indebted for some additions to last week's figures. The number of bilis and joint resolutions passed by the Senate up to the hour of adjournment last evening was 256,and by the House 243. The number def eated in the Senate is 25 and in the House 9. This does not include those ineasures which have been laid on the table, a large rimnber of which will never be called up again. There are at least 100 bilis on the table in the House and half as many in the Senate. The total number of petitions presented in the Senate up to last night was 768 and in the House 2,046; total 2,814. The exact number of signatures to the petitions for the prohibitory liquor law is not known ; but it is not f ar f rom 45,000. The whole number of petitions on the liquor traffic is 65,728 ; for local option 15,060; for Reform School for Girls, 18,468 ; for reduction of test on kerosene, 8,533; for reduction of rate of interest, 6,900; and for limited appeals from justice courts, 5,351. The others are on a great variety of subjects. APPBOPRIATIONS MADE. A good part of the discussions during the past week has related to the different appropriation bilis, a few of which have been already acted upon whiie many of them are still undergoing the whittling down process which proves to be almost as slow work as votinsr on election day. The whole amount appropriated thus far by both Houses is $65,872,51, of which $35,000 is f or the expenses of the State Xormal School for the next two years, and $25,000 to reimburse the military fund. The otlier items are $3,000 for the State Library, $2,(522,51 for deficience in the Reform School and $250 for compiling the Legislative Manual. To the total thus appropriated for the next two years should be added $235,871 appropriated by former Legislatures and available during 1877 and 1880. APPKOPRIATIONS TO BE MADE. It is thus seen that but a vory email proportion of the appropriation bilis which must be passed to carry on the machinery and institutions of the State luis yet been acted upon. Among the more important of these is that for the State University. The bill as recommended by the Senate Committee on the University appropriates in all $60,250, of which $20,000 is for new heating apparatus, $12,000 for the Dental College, $6,500 for a building for a homeopathie hospital, $6,000 for current expenses of the present hospital, $5,000 for the Homeopathie College, and the rest in smaller amounts for different purposos. The Flint Institution for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind wants $40,100 for the general current expenses of each year and an additional special appropriation of $6,600 for certain buildings and pairs. The principal items in the current expenses are $0,755 a year for offlcers and employee?, $6,588 for teachers' salaries, $-1,200 for fuel, $3,200 for meat and fish, $2,000 for flour and meal, and $2,000 for groceries. Both the House and Senate Committees agree in recommending these appropriations, and it seems probable the bill will pass substantially as reported. The bill making appropriations for the State Agricultural College includes items of $ti,000 for a chemical laboratory, $6,000 for a botanical laboratory, and $4,000 for a professor's building, in addition to the usual appropriations for salaries and current expenses. The bill met with considerable opposition in commlttee of the whole in the House, and it is not improbable but the above items may be stricken out or cut down in amount. PItOFOSED TMPROVEMENTS. The Senate Committee on Appropriations has reported favorably several bilis which, ïf passed, will require special appropriations to a large amount. Among these is one appropriating $7,500 for grading the grounds about the Capítol, erecting founlains, laying stone sidewalks and setting out trees. They also reported favorably the bill appropriating $40,000 for building a fire-proof museum structure at the University aud a bill making provisión for the admission ot women to the Agricultural College. This will require $10,000 for a building, $2,000 for furniture, $1,000 lor the salary of one extra teacher in 1880, and $000 for a matron for the same year. SUNDKIES. A bill relative to the State Treastirer's bonds was again the subject of prolonged discussion in the House. The amount was tinally flxed at $500,000 and passed. The special committee ot botn iouses appointed, at the opening of the session to revise thetax laws, has done agood deal of hard and important work, but is not yet able to report. Representatives Hopkins and Hall, a sub committee to complete the details, have lately been busy with other work. The portion relating to tax sales is nearly completed. It provides for returns through the Auditor General's office, but makes the sales by the sheriff on judgmenta issued from the circuit courts. The Senate has amended the House bill reducing the flash test of kerosene oil by reinstating the chili test for the detection of adulterations by means of paraffine, and also by abolishing deputy inspectora and substituting ïnstead district inspectora. This necessitates committees of conference, and it is of course, uncertain what shape the bill will flually take. Professor Cook of the Agricultural College, writes to The Scientific Farmer that having given the subject no little research and observation he is fully convinced that nearly all of our birdfl, not excepting robin, jay and grackle, are the farmers' efficiënt aids and very worthy of his fosteiing care. He aas made "actual examination of the birds stomachs purposely to eliminate every possible source of error."