The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-12-09

l, OECEMBE.R
aside too from malaria it is per
OBVIOUS that mosquito ridden
snporhood is not desirable plac,
OF residence; the very fact of tn,
Z dpundance OF mosquitoes keeps real es
tate values at a depressed point.
KNOW one case where a stretch of LAM
heaf d large body of water afforded
many excellent cottage and villa sites
GUY mosquitoes were so numerous thai
even domestic animals could nor be
n hept IN a healthy condition. and the
soie population consisted of fau
siAohe-dr1ed fishermen and their dogs
III TINS locality by the enterprisins work
VI one man, who organized a connany
LOT the purpose, the land was bought
the mosquito breeding places were nrac-
tlcaliy abolished, summer residence,
We're Quilt and the company realized
many thousands of dollars in the course
OF TWO years" Another successful effort
OF this kind was reported by one of tba
ealtors OF the Scientific American writ
/ ing as follows:
~ the town of Stratford, Conn. where
l nave resided for the past As wears
we have been greatly plagued nv
sWarms of mosquitoes, so great. in fart
that the "Stratford mosquito, became
WeIl-known characteristic of STRAIT
ford
we nave in the southern part of our
town bordering on the sound several
.icres OF marsh land or meadow. which
would become periodically overturned
win water in summer and a tremen-
uous breeding place for mosquitoes
and this plague to the town continued
until about 1S90-1S91 when a partv from
brldgeport Conn, purchased a large
section of the meadows and began TO
project them with dykes both ON tha
north and south ends, which shut ont
the water. In addition to this. numer-
GUS dltches We're made which helped RI
carry away the water The result of
TINS work made the land perfectly dry
ana spongy, SO that after a rain no
poois collected on the surface of the
meadow and the creation of the mos
qultoes was prevented. The transfor-
Hlatlon was so remarkable that peonle
outside of town would hardly believe
that II had been effected, and a wear or
Two later the town voted a special an
preparation of $4,000 to the party who
undertook to build the dyke and rem
DER the meadows mosquito-proof. It
mad also the effect of placing on the
market large tract of land elevated
from the sound, for residences. and as
many as twenty-five summer residences
nave been built upon this land border
ing on the sound and the number is
Increasing each year. They are free
rom mosquitoes SO that the operation
SHOWS the economy and the benefit that
VII result by using some means for
he md Eslp tfirUrtth the MOSQUITO breeding
ted States, so far as can be ascertained,
will not breed in salt water, but con-
fine themselves exclusively to fresh
water; this applies also to mosquitoes
found in these Islands, introduced
originally from the States, no doubt
Therefore, under certain conditions an
other remedy is indicated by the fact
namely, that near the sea shore, by
certain amount of ditching the water
of ponds may be converted from fresh
to salt.
A rather large scale operation of this
kind was conducted few years ago
ct Virginia Beach, the we'll known sea
coast resort directly east of Norfolk,
Virginia. Behind the hotels at this
place in former days-the hotels them
selves fronted on the beach-was a
large fresh water lake which with its
adjoining swamps was source of mos
quito supply and it was further feared
falthough this was before the mosquito
dissemination theory of malaria was
proven) that it made the neighborhood
malarious.
Canals were cut, and the water OF the
lake was changed from a body of fresh
water to O. body of salt water.
The lake is now supplied with salt
water at daily high tides by an under
ground feeder. Crabs and small FISH
occur in the lake in numbers and no
mosquito larva are even to be found
in August, even in the swampy places
at the lake border The water itself
is very salt TO the taste and samples
tested were shown, to contain approx
rlately two thirds of the quantity of
salt usually present In salt water.
Even where States or communities
cannot be induced to take up the ques-
ton of marsh drainage and dilzing it
is possible for public spirited individuals
of means to do work in this direction
which will count For example: A COM
homes in the vicinity of Oyster Bay,
Cold Spring Harbor, Lloyd's Neck and
Center Island, etc, have spent many
thousands of dollars with the sole view
of reducing the summer mosquito.
l mention this as an indication Oh
what might be attempted at Waikiki
and elsewhere.
Now as to remedies:
Crude petroleum sprayed or poured
onto the surface of water so as to form
the thinnest possible film is the most
efficient remedy and in the proportion
of 1 OF. to 90 square feet of surface,
repeated every twenty days. Acting by
poisoning the pupa and larvae OF the
mosquito as we'll as preventing the IN
sects from laying eggs on the surface
OF water so treated.
The first army orders issued in Cuba
Circular No. s, Headquarters Depart
ment of Western Cuba, October 18th
!, 1900 required treatment of breeding
ponds once month.
The second order General Orders NO
6, Headquarters Department of Cuba
| December 81, 1900 required the appii
cation of kerosene twice month