28 P.D. 123. 



In January at Worcester, on the occasion of the Union Agricultural Meetings, 

 the inspector arranged an exhibition of honey in various forms, wax, honey- 

 vinegar, and bee products for the exhibitors of the Worcester County Beekeepers' 

 Society. A lecture on bees and beekeeping was delivered in Attleboro on Novem- 

 ber 27, before the Centenary Men's Club. A considerable number of beekeepei-s 

 were present in the audience of upward of fifty. 



The appropriation was $2,500, of which a small balance of $4.35 remained 

 unexpended at the close of the fiscal year. It is recommended that the appropria- 

 tion of $2,500 be continued for the year of 1925. 



There is being promoted by the American Honey Producers' League, a project 

 whereby the Federal Department of Agriculture will cooperate in National bee 

 disease control, particularly in tlie control of American foulbrood. This depart- 

 ment was requested recently to consider the general features of the plan and to 

 state whether as a whole Massachusetts law would give adequate authority or 

 could be made to do so. After due consideration the Inspector of Apiaries with 

 the approval of the Commissioner replied that Massachusetts is in sympathy 

 with tiie plan insofar as it has been made known and that the statute affords 

 ample authority on each of the four essentials of law outlined by the League as 

 being necessary in order to successfully clean up bee disease. It is understood 

 that the plan is now being infonnally discussed with members of Congress and 

 that shortly a bill will be introduced asking for the necessary funds, to be appro- 

 priated to the United States Department of Agriculture. 



REPORT OF THE DIVISION OF RECLAMATION, 

 SOIL SURVEY AND FAIRS. 



IRECLAMATION. 



As in 1923 the reclamation work of this division has been conducted by the 

 State Reclamation Board, the Director of the Division being the official repre- 

 sentative of the Department on the Board and Secretary of the Board. The re- 

 port of the Board is therefore embodied in the report of the Division. 



REPORT OF STATE RECLAMATION BOARD. 



The personnel of the Board has been the same as during the last several 

 years, — Mr. Warren C. Jewett of Worcester, Chairman, representing the De- 

 partment of Public Health and Mr. Leslie R. Smith of Hadley, Secretaiy, rep- 

 resenting the Department of Agriculture. The employment of Mr. P. M. 

 Churchill of Elmwood, as Consulting Engineer, has been continued throughout 

 the year, and Mr. John W. Plaisted, Chief Inspector for the Department of 

 Agriculture, has acted as attorney for the Board on various legal questions. 



At the beginning of the year the Board recommended to the Legislature, 

 through the Department, that provision be made for prox>' voting in reclamation 

 districts and for the preparation of plans of districts to show their boundaries. 

 These amendments to the law were made without opposition, appearing as Chap- 

 ter 93 of the Acts of 1924. The provision for proxy voting is essential to the 

 operation of some districts which have so many members living at a distance 

 from the district lands that a quorum cannot be secured to attend meetings in 

 person. 



The Board has not had a sufficient appropriation to undertake general inves- 

 tigations of tracts of wet lands throughout the State, but has been obliged to 

 confine itself largely to the consideration of new projects for drainage, and the 

 supervision of projects previously undertaken. The Board has continued to 

 furnish information about drainage questions upon application, and has given 

 aid in some cases where the immediate organization of a district seemed un- 

 necessary or inadvisable. 



A new line of work has developed from contact wdth the Department of 

 Public Works. Examination of various highway locations, which was required 

 in connection with surveys of proposed districts, brought out the fact that the 

 construction of highways is not always planned to provide for proper drainage 

 of the land which the highwavs cross. A number of instances were found where 



