The platinum-wire method has been used in many cases with most satisfactory results. If it lacks something in theoretical accuracy as compared with more elaborate methods, it more than makes up for it by its simplicity; and reliable observations can be taken with it by people who would be entirely incompetent to operate more elaborate apparatus; and it can thus be used in many cases where other methods would be impossible. Upon this scale the most turbid waters which have come under the observation of the author have turbidities of about 2.50, although waters much more turbid than this undoubtedly exist. A water with a turbidity of 1.00 is extremely muddy, and only one tenth of this turbidity would cause remark and complaint among those who use it for domestic purposes. In an ordinary pressed-glass tumbler a turbidity of 0.02 is just visible to an ordinary observer who looks at the water closely, but it is not conspicuous, nor would it be likely to cause general complaint; and this amount may be taken as approximately the allowable limit of turbidity in a good public water-supply. In a carefully polished, and perfectly transparent glass a turbidity of 0.01 will be visible, and in larger receptacles still lower turbidities may be seen if the water is examined carefully. In gallon bottles of very clear glass, under electric light and surrounded by black cloth, a turbidity of 0.001 can be distinguished, but a turbidity even several times as large as this could hardly be detected except by the use of special appliances, or where water is seen in a depth of several feet. RELATION OF PLATINUM-WIRE TURBIDITIES TO SUSPENDED MATTERS. The relation of turbidity to the weight of suspended matters is approximately constant for waters from which the coarser matters have been entirely removed by sedimentation. For these waters the suspended matters in parts per 100,000 are about 16 times the turbidity. For river-waters the ratios are always larger. With very sluggish rivers the ratio is only a little larger than for settled waters. For average river-waters the ratio is considerably higher, and increases with the turbidity, and for very rapid rivers and torrents the ratio is much wider, as the suspended matters consist largely of particles which are heavy but do not increase very much the turbidity. The following table gives the amounts of suspended matters for various classes of waters corresponding to the turbidities stated, which have been deduced from the experience of the author. It is very likely that ratios different from the above would be obtained with waters in which the sediment was of different character.