The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1902-07-24
MOSQUITO DETERMINATION.
A Crusade Has Been Started Against
the Pest Which VIII BE Thorough
and Far-Reaching.

The Century for July contains an
article entitled "A Campaign Against
the Mosquito" setting forth the de-
tails of the operations that have been
under way near President Roosevelt's
summer home at Oyster Bay, L. |. In
predatory note DR.. l.. o. Howard, en-
tomologist of the department of ag-
riculture, says:
at is my firm opinion that, wide
spread as the interest in mosquito eX-
termination seems to be a present, it
is not a temporary interest, but the
beginning of a great and intelligent
crusade. My own correspondence on
the subject has been little less than
enormous. | have received during the
past year many thousands of letters
about mosquitoes. most of them in
quiring about methods for relieving in
dividual houses, neighborhood and
communities from these annoying
and dangerous creatures. In New
Jersey, a state which has suffered
great economic loss from the abund-
ance of mosquitoes, is giving attention
to the matter not only in isolated COM
munities as community work. but also
by state action, the Legislature having
passed billto promote Investigations,
but, unfortunately without an appro-
priation. Last summer the towns of
Summit and South Orange carried on
community work, which is to be con-
tinued this summer. The cities of
Elizabeth, Newark. and Jersey City are,
/ believe, to do some drainage work
with this end in view. The work to
which Mr.. Weeks article refers has
been large-scale work. carried on by an
association of private citizens. Ear
nest efforts are being made in Balti-
more to carry on similar work under
city appropriation, and a mosquito
topogra phical survey of the suburbs of
the city has already been made by Drs.
Hirshberg and Dohm. The board of
health of New Orleans has taken up
the matter, and is doing intelligent
and satisfactory work. Nashville,
Tenn. Rome. Ga. Talladega, Ala, Win
chester and Norfolk. Va. and a num-
Der of other places are looking int the
matter with a view to immediate effort,
and smaller communities all over the
country, north, south. east, and west,
either have the matter under consider
alton or are already beginning work.
The authorities of the Michigan Agri-
cultural college, near Lansing, have
authorized their entomologist, Mr..
Petit. to undertake a mosquito cru
SADIE the present summer. DR.. Felt.
the New York state entomologist at
Albany, writes me that he will begin
mosquito work at once. while DR.. Dav-
export, director of the biological Ia
boratory of the Brooklyn Institute of
Arts and Sciences. tells me that efforts
will be made to determine some prac-
teal points Of great Importance at
Cold Spring Harbor. Morris Cove and
Lawrence, L. l., are organizing for
work, the latter with an appro-
priation of $1,000. DR.. Stiles is lectur-
ing on anti-mosquito work before the
army medical school at Washington,
and posting all the young army sur
geons who have been ordered in for in
struction. The admirable results
achieved under our army administra-
ton of sanitary affairs in Cuba have
been an inspiration not only to com
munities in the United States but to
foreigners. Maj. Ronald Ross, of the
Liverpool school of tropical medicine.
writes me. under date of February 20:
by dint of constant driving l think
we are getting this country to do some
thing at last. 1t is, however, doubtless
the example of Havana that has chief
ly set them going
at appears from all this that exact
details of so large a piece Of work as
is being carried on by the enterpr;sing
and philosophical members of the
North Shore Improvement association,
of Long Island, as described by Mr.
Weeks, will be virtually of world
wide interest"