No. 4.] REPORT OF STATE FORESTER. 319 



■wire nettinj:;: over the top, to keep the squirrels out. The pitch pine 

 and Norway pine cones will open almost any time, and should be 

 picked at once, before they open, if this year's crop is saved. The 

 Massachusetts State Forester is aiding in every j^ossible way to 

 accomplish results; let us all do our part. 



The following very complete and valuable work accom- 

 plished by the Metropolitan Water and Sewerage Board in 

 practical forest planting is published in this, the State For- 

 ester's report, by permission of said Board, in order that 

 the data may be put into the hands of our people, who will 

 find it of great value in demonstrating definite results : — 



Forestry "Work in Connection with the Construction of the 

 Wachusett Reservoir. 

 In order to treat comprehensively the work as it has been carried 

 on, it will be found advantageous to divide the subject into five 

 branches, namely: general; nurseries; plantings; improvement thin- 

 nings; fire protection. 



General. 



The work of reforestation was begun in 1898 by the preparation 

 of two nurseries for the raising from seeds of both coniferous and 

 deciduous seedlings, to be planted on such of the lands owned by 

 this Board as were not already covered with a timber stand of some 

 description. 



The first field planting was made in the spring of 1902, when about 

 175 acres were planted, and since that time plantings vai'ying in size 

 from 50 to 200 acres have been made every spring and fall. 



The results obtained have been exceptionally satisfactory as far as 

 the conifers are concerned, there being approximately 90 per cent, 

 of the seedlings planted which have lived. 



The deciduous seedlings raised in the nursery have in almost every 

 case failed completely after being transplanted into the field. This 

 failure was probably due to the character of the soil in the nursery. 



Altogether, there have been planted about 1,330 acres with about 

 1,850,000 trees, made up of 948,000 conifers and 902,000 hardwoods, 

 of which about 90 per cent., or 853,000 conifers, and 7 per cent., or 

 63,000 hardwoods, are living at present. 



Ntirseries. 



There are two nurseries, one on either shore of the reservoir, hav- 

 ing an aggregate area of 8 acres. 



The one on the north shore, containing 4.3 acres, is used for hard- 

 vrood or deciduous seedlings, and was originally arable or grass land, 



