The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-05-28
BABCOCK,S MOSQUITO Plan.
Tried 1t in the Sunk Haze Meadows, and
Now Hos u Candidate for Congress.

Now He's n Candidate for Congress.
MILFORD. Me. May %. y swarms OF mos
auitoes that generally come out from the
swamps In Sunk Haze Meadows in August and
drive the people from town all through dog
days have arrived early this year. iniiicting
great torture to man and beast. The sunk
Haze mosquito is known all over New England
for the persistency and venom Of its attack. 1t
Is two sizes smaller than its cousin from New
Jersey. but it's bite is more painful to those who
receive 1t. while its dwarfshncss enables it to
penetrate screens and MEETINGS that the insect
from Sandy Hook would abandon in despair.
In April the warm weather checked the
streams and converted the cold pools into
muddy swamps that afforded excellent nurse
ries for the wrigRlers. converting millions OF
them into adult mosquitoes fully three months
ahead Of schedule time,
Stories OF great suffering from mosquito
bites have lately come in from Costigan, Card
vile. Greenfield. Bradley. and all the districts
that adjoin the meadows. John Buzzell lost a
pair Of steers last week. They had lately shed
their winter coat Of hair. and were turned out
to pasture before new hair had grown. When
Buzzell went out Sunday to feel rhenr-Eritks
salt he found that one was dead and the other
unable to get on its feet. Both animals were
red with fresh blood. The insects were so
thick around their bodies that Buzzell was
nearly blinded before he could escape to higher
land. where a friendly breeze came to his re-
lief. Melvin Austin's sheep went out to pasture
on Monday and returned at night with three
young lambs missing. Believing they had been
killed by a bear. he organized a hunt. but be-
fore the party had gone a mile they found the
lambs lying dead near u swamp. their bodies
crusted with blood. 1t required two quarts Of
spirits OF camphor and q gallon and n half OF
spiritus frumenti to reconcile the hunters to
the losses they had sustained from mosquito
bites.
On Monday morning William Wallace Bah
cock. Will. dropping potatoes nearthe woods.
and roll over in the newly ploughed land. act
Ing as II i was suffering great pain, Though
Baocock's only, weapon was q field hoe. he
gave chase. and says he would have overtaken
and killed the bear. which was nearly blind. II
the mosquitoes had not stood in the way. I'LL.
bear hunter. Babcock made up his mind that
He wanted to gtt the Bear. but Knew that no
man, could live for two hours in the swamps
to W ThsGh h the se amii 20 I'M haT Pd tisd 6e,os that svs,,DO
he found q score or more Of farmers standing
about telling mesquite stories, Though most
belt for years. nobody had ever seen the pests
In such numbers as they were this year, Bah;
encouragement whenever the conversation
Jagged. Al, last when half Of the men had
get. and II move away to som 81 place where here IDosu
Quitoes and black flies cause no trouble, Bah
cock saw that his time had come and said:
Look here. neighbOrs, why don t yer try the
New Jersey plan o KILN skeeters afore you
kerosene lie" said Babcock. looking about
the circle to make sure that every man heard.
ka lIs s an. "f q poured %Gei a m5T' yer e En swamp nP' y TS Jest
spreads out an, stays on top; 30 wen the
TF'f e inter ZONE PEei up l tsn ere an! non 5Rey Sx Est ar arr aS afe
afore they hev "A chanst ter make sEeeters out
uvthemselvss; From what Typ read reckon
wriRgler in Sunk Haze. You know lie Il only
ten cents er gallon nov. an four dollars'll buy
rel an give 1T a try, I'll open the game fer
The next morning twenty farmers followed
sene e SUNK Haze, The meadows we're
divided into plots. and every man had a can
kerosene; They were an hour in finishing the
Job, BY which time the sun had warmed the
All Of the men were wet and weary. and
f bnSo0st Nth Nth m niS nin On are 1sa ;inh e the Tiger
ins the match into a puddle t. prevent lire
from catching among, the dry leaves, and
bushes After hat nobody seems TO- know
with blue smoke. shot across the meadows 10
the hills a mile away in Greenfield. Then a
tied over everything. and the horses attached
TO- ne Iigser ran away. Carrying the Shoked
ragged all day and all night. sweeping up the
meadows aud rolling over the hardwood hills
to the blueberry plains OF Washington county.
When. the cinders had cooled off, Babcock
put on his rubber boots and waded around In
the swamp until he had found the body of a
dead and partly cooked bear. which he took
home and skinned, He was gone tour hours.
and didn't see or feel a mosquito while he was
bears meat three times a day, andthe Babcock
| grandchildren go to school with their. hair
the farmers who helped to buy and distrikure
the kerosene are talking Of sending Babcock to
the Legislature or to Congress on account OF
hiS profound knowledge o fInsects and tho way
TO destroy them.