The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1903-10-01
MOSQUITOES IN NEW JERSEY.
Town of South Orange Strives to Ex-
tinguish the Pests, But They
Multiply and Thrive.

Science, so far as the determination
of mosquitoes is concerned, has received
a severe blow in South Orange, n. j.,
little but very aristocratic and select
village. The home of millionaires, it
was not to be supposed that it would
be permitted that their comfort and re-
pose should be interfered with by so
common a thing as mosquito, says the
New York Commercial Advertiser Con-
sequently last year it was determined to
eXterminate and forever prevent the
multiplication of the strenuous little
pest.
A mosquito committee was appointed.
consisting of scientists, reformers and
members of the First Presbyterian
church, the last being the original re-
ligious home of all that is good in South
Orange The committee promptly got
to work, and, having secured the nee
essary money, they laid in a supply of
crude oil and proceeded to have all cess
pools, ponds and streams we'll deluged
Herewith. The work made the hitherto
fragrant village smell in spots very
much like a section of Bayonne or Hun
ter's Point but the committee asserted
that the village was free from mos
quitoes last summer. On this point there
was conflict of opinion. There is no
conflict of opinion, however, on the
question this summer The committee
is humbled to the dust.
Never before in the memory of the
oldest inhabitant-and there are some
pretty aged ones in this village-were
there so many mosquitoes here as there
are this summer. Where there was ore
years ago there are millions now, ac-
cording to the most veracious citizens.
Not only have they apparently been in
creased in number by the~liberal spri:
king of crude oil On the waters and
marshes, but they have seemingly so
thrived on the diet provided for their
determination that they have waxed fat.
grown larger in size and more brutally
yoraciOus in their habits. Were South
Orange not a law-abiding community
it is difficult to say what might not be
the fate of the mosquito committee.
The plague is on, however, and the
only persons who are deriving any bene-
fit from it are the owners of drug stores.
The supply of joss sticks has given out
and the druggists are kept busy selling
pennyroyal, oil of tar and citronella oil
for people to annoint themselves with be-
fore retiring, so as to get some sleep. In
some stores the supply is exhausted. 1t
is impossible to sit out of doors and even
in church devout worship is almost out
OF the question. The buzz of the mos
quitoes almost browns the choirs.
There is another and perhaps more
serious feature connected with the at
tempt of the committee to suppress the
mosquitoes and which may result in
someone having to pay damages for one
| of the results of their good intentions
1t seems that cows which have drunk Of
! the oil-sprayed streams or ponds have
| proved more vulnerable than the mos
| quitoes. At least one COW has died, it is
| said. as result thereof, and the milk
| of other cows is favored with the oil
and is unstable. On the whole, there
! fore, the mosquito committee is coming
| in for good deal of unfavorable criti-
cism and not little chaff.