32 P.D. 123. 



therefore, proposed that the Commissioners of Public Health and Agriculture 

 be authorized to ajjpoint a third member of the Board to serve for a term of 

 three years. It is also recommended that the members of the Board be allowed 

 compensation for their services as such, because a large part of their work must 

 in order to meet the requirements of land owners of the various districts be 

 done outside regular hours. The Board is convinced that it should have more 

 information before passing on the advisability and practicability of projects 

 and is therefore recommending an amendment to the law providing for a more 

 thorough survey of each tract before acting upon a petition for improvements. 

 Some other minor amendments are recommended, but those are not of enough 

 consequence to be mentioned in detail. 



Respectfully submitted, 



(Signed) LESLIE R. SMITH, Secretary. 



II. SOIL SURVEY. 



The field work on the Soil Survey of the State went forward this year in 

 Middlesex County under the same cooperative agreement as heretofore between 

 this Department and the United States Department of Agriculture. The per- 

 sonnel of the field party was the same as during the two preceding seasons. 

 Mr. W. J. Latimer represented the Bureau of Soils, United States Department 

 of Agriculture, and Mr. M. 0. Lanphear represented the Massachusetts Depart- 

 ment. The State is fortunate in being able to seciire the continued services of 

 these men. 



The party succeeded in covering the whole of Middlesex County before cold 

 weather made necessaiy the bringing of the field work to a close. The necessary 

 inspection of the county and other detail work still remains to be done so tliat 

 no extended report can be given describing the results obtained. It was found 

 that the extensive areas of first-class orchard soils which were found in Worces- 

 ter County and were there given the name of Charlton extend into Middlesex 

 County across the Nashoba Apjole Belt. The best orchards in Middlesex are on 

 this soil and it is noticeable that orchards on other soils are less successful. The 

 Charlton soils ajDpear to be derived from a belt of rock of a type known as 

 schist, which extends from Brimfield at the easterly end of Hampden County, 

 in a northeasterly direction across Worcester and Middlesex counties, nearly to 

 the Merrimac River. Except for this belt of good orchard soils, the survey 

 disclosed that the average soils in Middlesex County are generally less desirable 

 for tillage than the soils of Worcester County. Gravelly and sandy soils cover 

 large areas and there are also extensive tracts of meadow and marsh land, a con- 

 siderable part of whicJi is too wet for agricultural use. The agricultural impor- 

 tance of j\Iiddlesex County, therefore, except for the apple-growing industry, 

 depends more on the proximity of most of the county to good markets than upon 

 the general excellence of its soils. The convenience of markets has led to the 

 development of soils that would not be used in more remote localities. 



During the summer copies of the Soil Survey Report on Barnstable, Bristol 

 and Norfolk Counties were received from the Bureau of Soils, and some of these 

 were distributed. This report varies from the usual ]:»ractice of the Bureau of 

 Soils, in that it covers three counties instead of one. Detailed soil maps of each 

 of the three counties are included in the report. The Department still has some 

 copies that will be furnished upon request. On account of vacancies in the force 

 of inspectors employed by the Bureau of Soils, no inspection of Berkshire 

 County could be made this year. This delay is unfortunate because it will defer 

 the publication of the report on this county. 



The field work in this State has now covered the following complete counties, 

 which are named in the order in which the survey work was done: Plymouth, 

 Bristol, Barnstable, Norfolk, Worcester, Berkshire, Middlesex. The Connecticut 

 Valley was surveyed about twenty years ago, but the survey did not cover any 

 complete county. The counties of Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden will, 

 therefore, be surveyed before the work in Massachusetts is brought to a close. 

 Reports have been published on the first four counties named. According to 

 present plans the field work next year will cover the County of Essex. 



