The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-22

tiser's telegraphic news service. His dis covery was made in 1900 while experi- menting on . harmonic telegraph, and about the same time he devised an cleo trically charged screen for electrocuting the insects, as he also devised a screen covered with some stick substance to catch and hold them. Being unable to fnd any publication on the subject, MT. Weaver communicated his observations to Dr.. I. o. Howard. Entomologist of the Department of Agriculture at Wash ington, on February 19. 1901, and few days thereafter received a letter from pr. Howard in which he stated that the observations and experiments were new and novel.
 Some time ago Dr. Howard embodied the experiments in his book on the subject. giving MT. Weaver full credit for his discoveries. Then, as readers of The Advertiser doubtless remember. this pa- per in it's issue of June 30. 1901. published a long interview with Mr. Weaver in which was given detailed account of his experiments, and this, so far as we can learn, was the first published account of the effect of music on mosquitoes. Since the original publication in sThe Advertiser there has been great deal in the daily and weekly press on the sub ject. some of which treated 1t in a se- rious vein, while much of the discussion has been in the way of ridicule. That the subject was considered as deserving of serious consideration, however, is shown by a publication in The Phila- delphia Post, of June .27, 1903, of paper prepared by Mir. Harold Bolce. of Wash ington, who subsequently wrote MT. Weaver that all the investigations and newspaper discussions on the subject were founded on the original experiments of Mir. Weaver, to whom MT. Bolce gave full credit in a subsequent letter. and Dr. Howard wrote him substantially the same acknowledgement.
 These are substantially the facts in re- lation to theory, or a discovery, which has excited national interest, and we have made the statement as a matter ot | justicas to the original discoverer. As q fnrther contribution to the inquiry we | 0ttR 01ASW q N6A0 AAQLA 3Aks WSdNGAl which win be found of interest: | Editor The Advertiser:
 1 Mn{ofder that science may, in the mat. ter of the effect of sound upon the mos- quito, avail itself of the observations oi l suggest that a series of simple experi- ments be conducted by the readers of Tn Advertiser. and that the experiments be carried on in an intelligent manner | the following observations are offered: There Is certain note of the musical scale. lying between middle of the l gamut and high D, which, as well as its first and second octaves, has the pecu. liar property Of attracting the mosquito and causing it to be precipitated from the | air.
 The experimenter is to equip himself | with one or more musical instruments and seek the natural haunts of the mosqulto. They usually will be found 1T shaoM Ss poos aGns n Hs aFsSS | ground and around stagnant water. It is suggested that the saxophone, cor net. flute. piccolo and other wind in struments are best suited. for. these ex periments, owing to their greater volume of sound. They should be equipped witt a tuning slide, in order that the exac l sound may be produced.
 Having found a plentiful supply ot mosquitoes, the experimenter Is to begir | by playing in succession the notes in th' lower register of his instrument. sound
 
 to note the result produced. After tn, sounding of each fundamental note, it first and second octaves are to be sound ed and the effect noted. If there is nt result, the pitch of the instrument is t, be varied by the tuning slide and th' scale again ascended as before, and thi process is to be repeated until the de sired note has been found. This will b. found when the mosquitoes are attracte' toward the instrument and precipitat themselves with considerable fore against the hands and face of the ex perimenter.
 The experimenter is requested to writ a careful account of his experiments an
 forward the same to MT. A. dP. Weaver
 Montgomery, Ala. A resume of thes statements will then be forwarded by m to the Department of Agriculture a | Washington.
 It is suggested that the country physi
 elan. and the musicians throughout tn
 State are particularly well qualified ( l conduct the above experiments, Very truly yourss