The total number of wells drilled in West Virginia in 1952 reported to March 17, 1953, was 701, an increase of 5, or 0.7 per cent. Permits to drill or deepen totaled 654, or 90 less than in 1951, or a decrease of 12.1 per cent. Abandoned during the year were 464 gas wells, 453 oil wells, 59 oil and gas wells, and 31 other wells, or a total of 1,007 wells, according to report by the West Virginia Department of Mines, which total does not include new wells (133) drilled in dry. Wells completed were: gas, 455; oil, 60; oil and gas, 27; storage, brine, water-injection, and pressure, 26; dry holes, 133. Compared with 1951, gas wells decreased 8, or 1.7 per cent; oil wells decreased 11, or 15.5 per cent; oil and gas wells increased 12, or 44.4 per cent; storage and other wells ecreased 4, or 15.4 per cent; dry holes increased 16, or 13.7 per cent. Depth of wells completed ranged from 75 to 8,175 feet, compared with 200 to 9,085 feet in 1951. Total footage drilled (2,044,821) increased 30,245 feet, or 1.5 per cent over 1951. The average depth of wells (2,917 feet) increased 22 feet, or 0.7 per cent over 1951. The total initial daily open flow of the gas wells was 411,142 MCF, an increase of 55,289 MCF, or 15.5 per cent over 1951. The size of the gas wells ranged from 10 to 19,000 MCF, compared with 6 to 16,817 MCF in 1951. The total daily initial oil was 782 barrels, 340 barrels less than in 1951, or 30.3 per cent. The size of the oil wells ranged from ¼ to 80 barrels daily, compared with 2 to 180 barrels in 1951. The number of wells drilling or unreported if completed at the end of the year was 265,41 less than at the end of 1951. Letters were sent to 159 operators regarding 367 wells not reported. Replies were received from 105 operators regarding 298 wells, leaving 54 operators unheard from regarding 69 wells. The average size of gas wells was 878 MCF, compared with 757 MCF in 1951, a 16 per cent increase. The average size of the oil wells was 10.7 barrels, compared with 14.2 barrels in 1951, a decrease of 24.7 per cent. Preliminary estimates of production for 1952: gas, 172,300,000 MCF, a decrease of 22,330,000 MCF under 1951, or 11.5 per cent; oil, 2,601,000 barrels, a decrease of 156,000 barrels under 1951, or 5.66 per cent. The estimated number of producing wells at the end of 1952: gas, 13,517; oil, 13,233. Table gives statistics b counties.