The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-05-23
PUTTING IN BILLS
Opening of the Mosquito Season Is
Distinctly Marked.
REAL INVASION STILL To COME
St. Anthony Park Will Furnish Prof.
Washburn Kerosene for KILL
ing the Pests.

Mosquito season arrived. in Minneapolis
Wednesday night. Few people here can
call to mind any earlier advent Of the
pests in years past. Before Wednesday
hardly mosquito had been seen but on
that night they swarmed in the city and
at the lake. It is remarkable that they
should have gone into business on such
an extensive scale all at once. yesterday
people throughout the city were proudly
exhibiting welts resulting from the sud
den visitation OF the night before. The
singers were quite as active last evening,
and from now on they will be on the in
crease.
Out in st. Anthony Park heroic meas
ures are to be adopted for the extermipa-
ton of mosquitoes. There is enough
swampy land in that district to make
mosquitoes unusually plentiful and the
park people have been goaded to despera-
ton a result.
This has given Professor F. L. Wash
burn, state ntomologist, an excellent OPP
portunityto call science to the aid of the
sufferersS He is about to wipe out mos
quitos by the use of kerosene. 1t will be
in the nature Of an experiment, but
Professor Washburn believes that he will
achieve practical results. Experiments
already made justify the conclusion that
one ounce of kerosene will destroy all
mosquitoes and prevent their breeding
within radius of fifteen square feet. 1t
is estimated that it will take four bar
rels Of kerosene to make St. Anthony
Park immune from further ravages, for
some time to come at least.
The women Of the park have formed
kerosene 'bucket brigade and will kind
ly contribute all the kerosene needed to
bring about the extinction of the mos
quito. The work will be under the direct
supervision of Professor Washburn who
will have large force of men at work
po, ha hnnaf1t those
who wish to wage an active campaign
against mosquitoes elsewhere, he will soon
issue a bulletin bearing Complementary
on the subject.
Professor Washburn believes kerosene
will be found very effective wherever 1T
many be used. Minneapolis and ST. Paul
| to say nothing of the suburbs, be says,
could be made comparatively free from
mosquitoes if a generous cooperation of
| all the people could be assured.
| Wherever there is swampy land, or
wherever water collects in large or small
quantities, mosquitoes breed readily. They
| will breed in a drop of water, which fact
enables them to multiply in such out of
| the way places, as the interior Of tin cans,
containing ever so little moisture. This
| is another argument for tidying up back
Yards, for If tin cans were destroyed or
earted away, a prolific source of mos
quitos. would be eliminated. r..@.
one OF Tue uedI ly lOPSu AduA ID VI AlOo-
quitos. Is the rain barrels. A tablespoon
full OF kerosene will put an. effectually
quietus on any mosquito germs in such
receptacles
i The readiness with which mosquitoes &C
cumulate about premises where water is
handy, led Professor Washburn to OBJ
serve that the present reign Of the mos
auto is only fore runner Of what is YET
to come. gs.-. s.-,.-...-...-
:. The real mosquito season is not YET
! here: said he. 1.-THE mosquitoes which
=: have made themselves manifest since
Wednesday are those that we have always
with us. I mean to say that they have
simply been alternating in attics, barr
lofts and anywhere any other place which
offered shelter for the winter
The sudden coming of warm weathe
/ and the recent heavy rains, the professo
4 thinks, may have had much to. do witt
bringing the mosquitoes out of retiremen
1 in force