Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-02-18

How It Is Proposed to Rid New
Jersey Of Its Pest.
BIG APPROPRIATION NEEDED.

begisIature Asked For $4,000 to BE
Expended In Locating and Exter-
minating the States Noted scourge.
Professor John b. Smith Tells Of
Insects Natural Depravity.
The introduction in the legislature
Of a bill appropriating $4,000 to the
New Jersey agricultural experiment
station to be expended under the d.
rection of Professor John B. Smith
In prosecuting his investigations of
the New Jersey mosquito probably
sounds the doom Of that odious insect.
When asked by the New York Herald
correspondent at Trenton what he pur-
posed to do with the $4,000, Professor
Smith. who Is the entomologist of the
New Jersey agricultural experiment
station, said:
| "There are two points in view-first,
the sanitary: second, what may be call
ed the pestiferous. There are many
districts in New Jersey where malaria
is troublesome. One of my plans Is to
send out competent physician to map
out all the malarial districts in the
state. Following him. l will send
man who will make physical exam
ination of all those places thus map
ped, with the view of ascertaining the
breeding places of the malarial mos
quitoes. The facts will be Immediately
reported to the board of health of each
locality and afterward will be used In
the general report to the state.
1.-THE idea here is to give the local
board of health the information they
need to stamp out the disease. In a
general way, it will be to apply the
same principles that have been applied
by the American officers in Havana
and the British School Of Tropical
Medicine in Africa. Epidemic mala-
ria can be stamped out entirely, and to
make plain how this can be done is one
Of the objects Of this investigation.
The most recent investigations have
made it certain that malaria depends
for its transmission from one individ-
ual to another entirely upon mosqui-
toes Of the genus anopheles. This has
been demonstrated by the checking of
yellow fever in Havana as conse-
quence Of destroying the breeding
places Of that species Of mosquito. In
Africa the coast fever has been check
ed in the same way. In South Orange
and some other localities individual
communities have spent hundreds Of
dollars in attempting to abate this null
sance. The success has not been as
great as it should have been because of
the lack Of the very knowledge this in
vestigation is intended to supply.
"The second object includes the rid
ding of the shore Of the salt marsh
mosquitoes. These mosquitoes migrate
long distances inland and make many
districts in the pines uninhabitable
where no mosquitoes breed locally.
Besides the collectors, civil engineers
will be kept in the field all the summer
outlining plans for mosquito drainage.
That Is not a plan to drain the marsh
es, but to render them unfit as breed
ing places for the insects. One man
will be employed studying the natural
enemies Of the mosquito, such as fish,
frogs, toads, and the like. Especial at
tentlon will be given to the small fish
es with the object of introducing into
ponds throughout the state those crea-
lures that will naturally feed on mos
quito larvae. Some species breed local
ly throughout the state, and local con-
ditions will be carefully studied, so
that directions may be given that may
be carried out by individuals and local
authorities"
The professor did not enter at this
time into detailed and concrete ex-
PLANTATION of the methods that will
probably be adopted for the eXtermi-
nation of the mosquito. These will de-
pend very much upon the result Of the
investigations that are to be prosecut-
ed. Generally speaking, these methods
will comprise the introduction of iarva
eating fishes into mosquito breeding
pools. the introduction Of the tidal flow
into such pools, the use of petroleum,
the drainage of mosquito breeding
marshes. the grading and leveling of
regions that harbOr the insect and the
removal of the shrubbery and grass
that afford them coverts.
i lie ecOuOIlllc eueClS VI
this pest in New Jersey can scarcely
be estimated. 1t would mount into the
millions and tens of millions. Some
idea of the economic Importance OF the
mosquito may be had from the fact
that the taxable value of the few miles
between Ocean Grove and Long
Branch, inclusive. which are practical
ly free from this pest. is larger than
the entire hundred miles between Bay
head and Cape May. If that hundred
miles of shore front of unsurpassed
natural attractiveness could be freed
from the swarms OF mosquitoes that
make it almost uninhabitable in SUM-
mer, it's value would be increased
twentyfold. BY reason Of it's extern
sive and lovely sea front, its good
roads, its trolley systems and its stu
alton in the very focus of American