New-York tribune., 1904-10-17
THE MOSQUITO Is DOOMED.
Jersey determination Board Soys
UorE Has Proved Practical.

Arlington. n. j. Oct. Is (speciaD.-The mosquito
determination campaign in West Hudson and ad-
joining parts OF Essex County. under the direction
of the Mosquito Determination Board has closed
for the season. with results that are satisfactory
especially TO the officials and citizens OF those
towns most afflicted with the mosquito plague, IN
cluding Kearny. Harrison, East Newark and parts
of Newark. There has been decided decrease IN
the prevalence of the pest in these districts the
last season previous years due largely TO the
work Of the hoard, in cooperation with the sew
eraI boards Of health. The results would no DOUBT
have been more satisfactory had the campaign
preparatory work been begun earlier in the spring
before the migration OF the pests
In the last season there have been more than
four hundred thousand linear feet Of ditchng done
on the meadows in territory OF more than tnirty
thousand John B. Thomson. secretary OF the
Kearny Board OF Health, and one OF the two rhenl-
bers OF the Mosquito determination Commission
from Hudson County, said:
There are moro than thirty species of the mos
quito family though only few are found in TINS sec
fresh water, and the house species. .ror,
female mosquito three days OLD MI Win isy g IiOia
pool of water 100 by 25 feet thickly covered Tith
All experts agree that drainage is the best piaccal
way 10 get rid Of the pest. .,,4 is bred
in town on the top Of pools in rain I that
S9id 9an was tots oT IN can aao breed in damp cellars
when vessels remain partly filled with wafer ibt anH
The malaria carrier mosquitoes bred IN swamp
around garbage barrels and in sewer ttS Smslaria
are capable Of inocuatng persons Mton MatH oF the
poison In making thoEonGh fgv of these This
specie Of the mosquito family does not ny iaF
from its breeding place.
The director Of the mosquito campaign on tle
meadows was Professor John B. Smith. state ento-
mologist To The Tribune representative PROFESSOR
Smith said:
The question Of mosquito control and practical
determination in the territory between Newark
xaieys Of the HacSehsaok aeS and Passsc has been
thoroughly studied in the last two years. ana the
rather easy There are several municipalities in
seted and all must Tts93 E obfsDed
has perhaps the largest actual marsh area Eliza.
s the same kind Of territory and Kearny has large
corner az the junction Of the two rivers. Ariing-
mention saIt marsh species in this CONNECTION be-
only in the cities Immediately adjoining the
considerable distance. The reason for that is that
the sal; narsE sPscies mgrsts snd those hose that thai
meal at Montcair; or, in rare cases, even as far
The valleys Of the Hackeusack and Passaic do
not breed any large numbers OF mosquitoes. al
isrvl T ia need he s1nsbt for in sny ,5unbnps In
grants from the marshes at Kearny or Immediately
sl.~ro!ndinr Hoboken has 10 breeding places
for the salt marsh species. Jersey City has
places where water stands. and where wrigglers or
mosquito Larvae may be found al almost any time
In the summer.
Arlington has no breeding places FOR sal. marsh
mosquitoes. II does haVa local points where the
house mosquito develops IN considerable numbers.
Newark has extensive marsh area estimated
roughly at thlrty-fve hundred acres. over con-
siderabla portion % this territory mosquitoes breed
III great quantities. L decided 70 experiment in
a place Of this kind t. determine what dtching
would DO. Something like forty thousand lIneai feet
Of ditchinG was done IN such way as 10 drain OF
all surface water Tie meadow began 70 dry or
almost at once. and late In the season. whenever
there was a food. either of rain or an unusually
high tide forty-e!Eht hours would suttco 20 drain
of particle OF surface water In the spring Of
1854 this territory tho only in the vicinity
IN which mosquitoes did not breed !n great quaRt.-
ties. A. the request or the Board OF Health S0o
appropriated by the Common Council for drain
ing the rest OF the meadow. and this was spent IN
the early and mid summer. over $4,000 feet of
bitches being put Mosquito breeding has disap-
peared from most pools OF tho meadow.
The city Of Newark has not yet Teaped the fun
benefit Of the work that has been done
A much more satisfactory experiment was made
at the mouth OF the Shrewsbury River. because here
The work was begun early enough 10 get ahead OF
the first brood.