The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1903-04-12
Special to The Globe.

NEW YORK,sApril 1.-THE annual
recurrence of the mosquito problem is
being regarded with increasing seri-
BUSINESS throughout the country. This
fact is constantly receiving fresh rec
ognition in the attention scientists are
giving to the devising of means for the
mosquitoes determination on practical
and comprehensive lines
Here in New York the MOSQUITO diff
ficulty has always attracted serious
scientific Investigators, and as a result
some new light is continually breaking
forth to illuminate some hitherto i'm
penetrable dark corner in the question
Now New York has discovered that
her trihulations, claimed to be conse-
quent on her proximity to the notori-
Gus mosquito breeding marshes of her
neighbor New Jersey are not alto
gether to be laid to the account of that
much abused state. The supposedly
migratory mosquitoes from beyond the
Jersey shore that trouble the metrop-
oils annually are now found to be large
ly home bred, their nursery being New
York itself.
Upon this discovery hinges another
which is of general value not only to
New Workers. but to all communities
among whom the mosquito presents a
persistent problem. This newly es-
tablished point proves that when de-
vices are being originated to clear any
particular place of mosquitoes that you
be certain what special variety Of the
insect 1t is that you are dealing with,
and also under what conditions it is
present. For lack of attention to these
details, 1t appears, a great deal of con-
scientiouS labor has been lost in To-
calitieS where the campaign was d.
rected against one kind of mosquitoes,
later found to be comparatively harm
less, the genuine criminals, another
and different type Of the insect being
allowed to escape.
New York made her mistake in this
way: There were three varieties of
mosquitoes to ba dealt with, the culex
pungens, or sondid mosquito, the an
opheles maculipennis, which trans
mits the contagi6n Of chills and fever,
and the mosquito peculiar to salt
marshes, scientifically named Culex
sollicitans.
New YorkSs with her eye riveted on
the sins of adjacent New Jersey, whose
salt marshes produce the Culex solH-
citans, concluded that it was the latter
type of mosquito against which she
must proceed to act. Science, however,
instituted an exploration along the
New York front of the North river, OPP
posite the Jersey shore, and there on
New York soil captured some hun
dredS of mosquitoes which the nom
scientific mind would have off-hand
declared to be emigrants from New
Jersey Science, however, established
that the species to which almost all of
thaSa r1non11ifnoS holanoroI
pungens. and not Culex sollicitans
Therefore, New Jersey was not re-
Sponsible for their presence in New
York and the tactics of the campaign
ers had to be changed. .-
The lesson learned was, first, define
the species of your mosquito, then
proceed against him. New York's par
CuleX pungens, classed in every day
parlance as the sordid mosquito, type
of all-around meanness. This insect
Is, so to speak, one without a country:
he may be born and bred in any un-
clean pool of water anywhere The
excavation Of the rapid transit sub
way system now under construction in
the streets of New York is a favorite
breeding place for these mosquitoes, as
1t contains many damp spots Per-
haps the only good point about this
CuleX pungens order of mosquito is
that, While countless thousands of him
are produced, but few survive to the
adult period, and such as do are chiefly
males.
This Is important, as 1t IS only the
females who bite. The evil character
istics of the1biting female may be con-
ceived from this account of her by an
expert. g.sW
The sordid mosquito is seldom OBJ
served in News York In the daytime,
but at twilight 1t energies from its hid
ing place. II an entrance to a dwelling
cannot Immediately be detected. it flies
upward, searching diligently along the
sides Of the house for an opening.
1 have observed Culex pungens in
considerable numbers night after night
beating upon the screens of windows
at height of over a hundred feet from
the ground Failing to get in, they
would disappear over the top of the
house. Their fate beyond this point is
beyond conjecture. l have never seen
them fly downward.
In localities where malaria is COM
mon the annpheles maculipennis is now
declared to beffhe variety of MOSQUITO
that must be searched for The scien-
ttfic experts who have been making
observations and discoveries in New
York give this counsel to the MOSQUITO
fighters:
For those who wish to be rid of
| mosquitoes the first thing to be done
is to see that the yards and grounds
in the vicinity of their houses are
put in good order. Useless receptacles
which will hold water should be de-
stroyed; tubs and barrels which have
outllved their usefulness should not be
cast out upon rubbish heap, but be
for