Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-02-14
GREAT MOSQUITO HUNT
Government to Join a Crusade
on Long Island.
WAR ON PEST TO BEGIN IN APRIL.
Department OF Agriculture Inter
ested Ia the Movemcns-Recl@ree~
tion OF Lands aad ~EtedcmptEcr ~
Marshes TO Follow Route of Ensc~ 81.
II. c. weeks as chief Euaiaeer.

II. c. weeks as Chief EnSincer.
a government party In charge Of
Professor Milton whleney. ef ~ the
bureau Of soils. department o. agrical-
ture, will start April 1 Oh a survey Of
the entire area OF Long Isla@l, says The
New York Commercial Advertiser. The
object Is the reclamation OF land and
the redemption or the large tracts OF
marshes fer agricultural purposes. The
attention Of Secretary Wilson has been
called to the reclamation work which
has been in progress for the last two
years through the efforts of the North
Shore Improvement association, which
is interested not only In the improve
ment of the land, but IN a plan to ex
terminate the mosquito by destroying
its breeding places. The war being
waged against this obnoxious pest
along the north shore OF Long island
bids fair to terminate successfully.
Henry Clay Weeks, who Is the chief
engineer for the North Shore Improve
ment association and Is commonly
known as "Mosquito't Weeks. has maj
shaled his forces. and when the season
opens he will advance on the pest.
backed by maps, charts, petroleum, the
North Shore Improvement association
and the United States government.
There will be a cessation of mosquito
parades, for the parade grounds will be
In the hands of the invaders, and those
which are not held by them will be
covered with petroleum, and the mos.
quito will be no more.
The war on the mosquito will make
necessary the reclamation of the
bitches. marshes and swamps which
are numerous on Long Island. The
crusaders aim to break up the breeding
places by draining off the water, since
water is a necessary element for \
reproduction of the mosquito. Much
has already been done in exterminat-
ing the pests on Long Island. and to-
day many ponds and bitches are abso-
lutely mosquitoes.
The commendable work done by Mr..
Weeks and the North Shore Improve
ment association attracted the atten-
ton of Secretary Wilson of the de-
partment of agriculture at Washing
ton. The result of the work of the as
ISOLATION embodied In q report was
sent by Mr.. Weeks to Secretary VII
son in the early part of January. The
secretary at once appreciated the value
Of the work and conferred with Milton
Whitney, chief of the bureau of soils,
department of agriculture, and l.. O.
Howard, division of entomology, in re-
gard to the draining Of the swamps,
redemption of the marsh land and I'M
munity from malaria spread entirely
by one species of the mosquito known
throughout Long Island.
This work will necessitate new maps
and charts OF the ~redeemable lands.
Secretary Wilson has already arranged
to send a soil party to Long Island on
April / to make a survey Of the en-
tire area of the island. Recent commu-
nications have been received By Mr..
Weeks from Mr.. Whitney of the bu-
reau of soils, in which he says that the
soil party will probably start for the
New York end of the island. This will
enable them to take advantage Of the
maps which DR.. Ernest Lederle, pres
ident of the board of health, is having
made showing the breeding places of
the mosquito in the territory adjacent
to New York city.
The determination of the mosquito
from Long Island means an increase
In land values. In addition the re-
claimed swamps will furnish the truck
grower with a fertile area that will
many times repay the work CT redemp-
ton.
There are two groups of mosquitoes
which are to be attacked by the cru
saders-namely, the culex and ano-
pheles. The latter alone disseminates
malaria, but the former is no less Il
pest. The elimination of the mosquito
depends or the fact that the mosquito
has an aquatic stage and that the adul;
does not fly far from its breeding
place. In the case OF the anopheles the
distance is never over 200 yards, while
the culex Hies half a mile or under ex-
ceptional circumstances a longer dis
lance. The three methods employed to
break up the breeding places Of the
MOSQUITO are draining, petrolizing or
pouring petroleum on the water so that
it forms a film which smothers the lar
va and by cleaning the ponds of vege
tation and stocking them with fish.
The fight against the mosquito, which
was started by Mr.. Weeks over twenty
years ago, will result eventually in the
insects either being driven into the
sound or the Atlantic ocean. Every
village has its antimosquito society
which in summer wage relentless
warfare upon the pests and in winter
holds meetings and plans new Fam.
paigns. Mr.. Weeks was jubiIant over
the fact that the government was
about to take an active interest in the
work. With wealth and the govern
ment and Mr.. Weeks against the poor
mosquito it Is only a question Of time
before he becomes a ara avis on Long
Irlov a a. Irar+