Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1902-02-13
To Exterminate the mosquito.

! Inc introduction IN Jno Legislature OF
bill appropriating $1,000 to the New Jer-
sey Agricultural Experiment Station, to be
expended under the direction of Professor
John B. Smith in prosecuting his investiga-
tions of the New Jersey mosquito, with the
object of exterminating the pests, seems to
the average citizen like a chimerical under
taking, nevertheless it is a movement of
wide interest, and great Importance to
the people of New Jersey. Professor Smith
is the entomologist of the New Jersey
Agricultural Experiment Station, and must
have some foundation for his belief that the
State can be rid of its first settlers. The
New York Herald interviewed the Professor
last Saturday as to what he proposed to do
with the $40, 900, and received the following
information
"There are two points in view; first,
the sanitary; second, what may be called
the pestiferous. There are many districts
in New Jersey where malaria is trouble
some. One OF my plans is to send out a
competent physician to map out all the
malarial districts in the State. Following
him will send q man who will make a
physical examination of all those places
thus mapped, with the view of ascertain
ing the breeding places of the malarial
mosquitoes. 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 Tropi-
cal Medicine in Africa. Epidemic malaria
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 individual to another entirely
upon mosquitoes of the genus anopheles.
This has been demonstrated by the check
ing 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 checked in the same
way. In South Orange and some other
localities individual communities have
spent hundreds of dollars in attempting to
abate this nuisance. The success has not
been SO great as it should have been,
because of the lack of the very knowledge
this investigation is intended to supply.
''The second object includes the Kidding
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 drain
age. That is not a plan to drain the
marshes, 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 attention will be given
to the small fishes, with the object of intro
ducing into ponds throughout the State
those creatures that will naturally feed on
mosquito larvae. Some species breed locally
throughout the State and local conditions
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 explanation of
the methods that will probably be adopted
for the determination of the mosquito
These will depend very much upon the
result Of the investigations that are to be
prosecuted. Generally speaking, these
methods will comprise the introduction of
larva-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 levelling of regions that
harbor the insect and the removal of the
shrubbery and grass that afford them
coverts.
The economic effects of suppressing this
pest in New Jersey can scarcely be esti-
mated. 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 prac-
tically 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 attractive
ness, could be freed from the swarms of
mosquitoes that make it almost uninhabit-
able in summer, its value would be in
creased twenty fold. By reason of it's
extensive and lovely sea 'front.' its good
roads, its trolley systems and its situation
in the very focus of American civilization,
New Jersey is destined to become the play
ground of the Union, and the only obstacle
to the realization of this destiny is the
mosquito. For the State to hesitate to ex-
pend $40, 600 out Of a surplus of millions in
promising attempt to remove this obstacle
would be idiotic.