Boating and fishing have been permitted in the remaining portions of the lake during the season beginning with April 1 and ending on October 15, in boats registered in accordance with the regulations which have been made and by persons who have been duly licensed by the Board. Permission has been given to the public to fish from the highway during the season named, and at other seasons to fish through the ice in other than the prohibited portion of the lake.

Applications for registration of boats were received to the number of 176, and 142 of these were granted, 3 of them with privilege of using tenders also for various sail and motor boats. Of those whose applications were granted, 114 were residents of Natick in the vicinity of the lake; 6 were residents of the village of Cochituate, the adjoining portion of the town of Wayland; and 22 were owners or lessees of cottages built upon land immediately abutting the shore margins. Of the 34 applications which were rejected, 10 were made subsequent to the time limited for filing the applications; 7 were from residents of towns not bordering upon the lake; 5 were from those who had become owners or lessees of cottages subsequent to March 1, 1906; 2 were from applicants who had in the previous year violated the regulations; 3 were in cases where registration had been already granted to members of the family; and 7 were for the use of tenders for which arrangements were otherwise made. No other registration was refused to residents of the territory immediately surrounding the lake or to those who had been owners or lessees of surrounding cottages prior to March 1, 1906.

Stringent measures were enforced for keeping the premises abutting the shore margins in good sanitary condition, and for preventing the pollution of the water by the cottagers and campers.

The owners and lessees of registered boats have shown a helpful cooperation with the Board by the satisfactory observance of the regulations which have been adopted for the protection of the water supply. No violation of the regulations was reported for prosecution.

An appeal which had been taken to the Supreme Court upon an injunction which had been granted against an owner of one of the cottages who had persisted in violating the rules of the Board was overruled by the full bench of the court.

(9) FORESTRY.

The operations carried on in past years about the Wachusett Reservoir in the way of clearing the margin and replacing and planting the trees has been hitherto in part classed under construction. All the work is now done under the head of maintenance.

The clearing of a strip, along the extreme margin of the territory owned by the Commonwealth, through the wooded and shrub land, has been extended during the past year for a length of about 2 miles, so that now a cleared margin about 40 feet wide, called the fire guard, is around the entire limits of the Commonwealth's property. A strip about 15 feet wide has also been cleared on each side of brooks through wooded lands to the length of about 5,700 feet.

Mature and otherwise undesirable trees have been cut down in other places, and considerable areas have been improved by the thinning out of the trees. A large area which had been previously planted with white pines, upon which has come up a heavy growth of birches, alders and briers, has been cleared by the cutting out of the trees and brush which would interfere with the growth of the pines. The timber obtained by these processes has amounted to about 15,000 feet, board measure, and in addition more than 450 cords of firewood have been obtained. The most of the timber and firewood has been sold.

The greater part of the cleared margin of the reservoir had been previously planted, principally with arbor vitæ, and there remains about 11⁄2 miles in length still to be treated. Inasmuch, however, as many of these trees had failed, it was determined to postpone the further planting until a stock of larger trees could be obtained from the nurseries. An area of about 20 acres has been planted with white pine seedlings, and the locusts upon the Oakdale flats, which had died, have been replaced. The total marginal land around the reservoir belonging to the Commonwealth is now estimated to comprise 3,412 acres. Of this aggregate, 1,483 acres were more or less wooded when acquired. There have been planted with trees 1,117 acres, and there are 315 acres which it is proposed to plant in the future. The marginal strip immediately along the shores of the reservoir contains 197 acres, and there are 300 acres which it is not proposed to plant with trees.

The Flagg and the Lamson nurseries, so called, situated respectively on the south and north sides of the reservoir, have been maintained. At the Flagg nursery a great number of white pines and arbor vitæ have been removed from the nursery beds to the transplant rows. The nursery now contains in the transplant rows 363,540 white pines, 28,300 arbor vitæ, 4,380 Scotch pines and 3,140 white spruces. Many arbor vitæ seedlings have also been transferred from this nursery to the Lamson nursery, where the soil is better adapted for their growth. The Lamson nursery contains in transplant rows 154,200 arbor vitæ, 13,580 sugar maples, 8,810 locusts, 3,090 white oaks, 3,000 ashes, 2,300 walnuts, 700 Norway spruces and 54 catalpas.

About the Sudbury Reservoir and around Framingham reservoirs Nos. 2 and 3 many worthless apple trees have been cut down, and, so far as marketable, sold for firewood; and a large quantity of brush has also been collected and burned. White pine trees to the number of 3,200 have been planted during the year at the Sudbury Reservoir.

(10) MOTH SUPPRESSION.

The extensive work which has been carried on by the Board in previous years on the lands under its charge, not only at Spot Pond but in the cities of Medford and Somerville and the town of Arlington, has resulted in greatly reducing the number of gypsy moths, and it is believed that the work of the past year will be felt by a still further reduction in their number in the future.

There has, however, during the year been a considerable increase in the number of gypsy moths along the lines of the Sudbury and Cochituate aqueducts in Newton, Weston, Natick and Framingham. The 220 acres of land about the Weston Reservoir and lying along the Weston Aqueduct between the reservoir and the terminal chamber were especially infested, and the cost of protecting these lands was more than double the amount expended in the previous year. No gypsy moths have been found upon the property of the Board situate west of the town of Framingham.

The number of brown-tail moths at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and on other lands in the vicinity of Boston has been greatly decreased, apparently from natural causes. Very large numbers of nests of the brown-tail moths have been destroyed at the Sudbury Reservoir, and these nests in considerable and increasing numbers have been de

stroyed at the Hopkinton Reservoir, along the line of the Wachusett Aqueduct in Southborough and Northborough, and in the vicinity of the Wachusett Reservoir in Clinton.

The methods employed for destroying and for preventing the spreading of the moths were similar to those of preceding years. The egg clusters of the gypsy moths were painted during the winter season with a mixture of creosote and fuel oil, in the spring tangle-foot was used in large quantities for banding the trees, and in the summer many trees were sprayed with arsenate of lead. In order to protect the lands of the Commonwealth along the lines of adjoining properties where moths were prevalent, lines of boards were set on edge and smeared with tanglefoot.

It has been found necessary, where there were thick growths of underbrush, particularly along the lines of the aqueducts, to cut away the underbrush and also the undesirable trees.

The total amount expended for the purpose on the Water Works lands was $10,700, being $2,000 less than the expenditure of the previous year. Of the total amount expended, $6,450 was devoted to lands about Spot Pond and $1,300 to those about the Weston Reservoir.

(11) QUALITY OF THE WATER.

The quality of the water supplied to the Metropolitan District has been good throughout the year, and has somewhat improved in quality over the preceding year. The color has remained substantially the same, but the microscopic organisms have decreased in number. Especial improvement has been observed in the quality of the water of the Wachusett Reservoir, as well as of the Sudbury Reservoir and Framingham Reservoir No. 3. There have been few growths of objectionable taste or odor. The number of organisms found in Lake Cochituate is larger than that in any other source of regular supply, and for about one-third of the year the number was such as to make the water objectionable for use, although not injurious to the public health. But little trouble has been experienced in the water coming from other sources.

(12) THE WAter Supply.

For the fourth consecutive year the rainfall on the Sudbury and Wachusett watersheds and the amount of water yielded have both been below the average for the years during which records have been