20 P.D. 123 



Inactive Projects. 



Under this heading can be grouped a few projects considered in previous 

 seasons but not carried to the point of definite action. Such projects are 

 those at North Scituate and Marblehead, discussed in previous reports. 

 Other projects taken up with the Board in previous years have apparently 

 been dropped. 



New Projects. 



Several new areas have been brought to the attention of the Board during 

 the year. The proprietors of land along Herring River in Wellfleet, where 

 the State has recently financed extensive improvements through the Depart- 

 ment of Public Works, took out petition blanks with the intention of organi- 

 zing a district to maintain these improvements and otherwise make the land 

 in the district available for cultivation and other purposes. The petition was 

 not presented to the Board during the year. 



At Sharon, the Salvation Army fouiid some drainage work necessary in 

 the area which it was developing as a summer camp for mothers and chil- 

 dren. Conditions were not such as to require the organization of a district, 

 but the Board assisted with advice and suggestions while the work was going 

 on. The Board ought to be specifically authorized to deal with requests 

 of this sort which can be handled without the organization of a district. 



On other occasions the Board has been consulted by town officers and 

 private individuals who were interested in the drainage of various tracts and 

 considerable assistance has been given in such cases, particularly to the 

 authorities of the town of Lexington, who wish to accomplish extensive 

 drainage work within the town limits. It seems probable that undertakings 

 in Lexington will ultimately involve adjoining towns, particularly Arlington, 

 Belmont and Waltham. 



Conclusions. 



The Board is convinced that the changes in the law which faUed to pass 

 during the year are necessary to the full success of the Board's operations. 

 A saving in time and probably a saving in money to the several districts 

 would result if the Board were allowed sufficient appropriations to employ a 

 surveyor or engineer to make the district surveys. At present the district 

 commissioners have charge of these surveys and are frequently delayed in 

 securing proper persons to make them. Some progress has been made in 

 securing the better location of bridges and culverts so that more thorough 

 drainage of land above them can be secured. 



The Board believes that only a beginning has been made in drainage work 

 in Massachusetts and that valuable results can be obtained as its operations 

 are extended. This can well be done without large expenditure, because 

 the State pays only the cost of supervision over the projects undertaken, the 

 whole expense of actual construction being borne by the land benefitted. 



Respectfully submitted, 



STATE RECLAMATION BOARD 



By Leslie R. Smith, Secretary. 



SOIL SURVEY. 



The season of 1925 was so favorable that the field work covered not only 

 Essex County as originally planned, but also Dukes County and Nantucket. 

 Since the final report on this work has not been prepared, only a general 

 statement about results can be made here. The survey of Essex County 

 disclosed nothing of special note, the varieties of soils being substantially the 

 same as some of those found in other counties. It appeared that Essex 

 County has extensive areas of good soUs and that these are much larger than 

 the areas now in active use for agriculture. In the island counties, seven 

 varieties of soils not found on the mainland were identified and mapped. 



