Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-04
THE MOSQU|TOEXH|B|T
An Interesting Display at the
st. Louis Exposition.
SENT BY NEW JERSEY
METHODS OF ERADICATING THE
PEST INDICATED.
Collection of Household end Kitchen
Utensils-Many Ingenious
Contrivances Shown.
BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

| BY WILLIAM E. CURTIS
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star and
Chicago Record-Herald.
ST. LOUIS, September %, 1904.
About the center Of the building devoted
to forestry. fish and game is circular case
containing one Of the most curious exhibits
In the entire exposition. 1t is furnished
by the state of New Jersey, and illus
| trates the life, character and achievements
or the mosquito, which, as everybody
knows. is one of the notable products of
| that state
! 1t is the first time the mosquito ever ap-
peared officially at an International EXPOSE
| ton. l do not quite understand why he
| should be classified with forestry, fish and
game 1t would seem more appropriate to
put him in the varied industries building,
because he is famous for his industry, and
| applies 1t in various ways and directions.
| But, as he has entered no protest as dis
| satisfied exhibitors usually do we may as
sumo that he is satisfied with his place,
| and everybody can learn valuable lesson
| from him.
The purpose of the exhibit is plain, and 1t
| is not only useful, but very important, since
| 1t has been demonstrated that he is of all
| insects the most dangerous as a distributor
| of disease. So dangerous is he regarded
| by medical science that large sums of
| money are now being expended on the At
| lantic coast and elsewhere for his extermi-
nation. Indeed, some doctors assert that
| the mosquito Is entirely responsible for
| what are called malarial diseases, and the
Investigation of the army surgeons in Cuba
! have shown that he is the most active
| agency in spreading yellow fever an cpl
| demic. 1t Is therefore apropos that the
| medical authorities of New Jersey should
make an exhibit and show the people Of
| other states what is being done there to
! hn 1nCt ND
against it.
The History of Each Mosquito.
We learn from the exhibit that there are
| several kinds of mosquitoes. and they are
shown in a most intelligent and comprehen-
sive manner. The installation is admirable,
and then every object is accompanied by a
detailed explanation plainly written upon a
| card which enhances the value of the ex-
| hibit a hundredfod. We have not only diff
| ferent kinds of mosquitoes impaled upon
| pins, but we have the life history of each
| one and you will be surprised to know
| there are so many varieties. Some OF them
! sing and some are silent. Perhaps you have
discovered that fact by personal experience
| Some are perfectly harmless, others go
| about loaded with poison and the malarial
| distributor is a particular kind of insect
and does the greatest amount OF damage.
| 1t would be difficult for any one TO explain
| the reason of his creation.
| One of the most interesting features OF
the exhibit is the model of marsh, DIT
| of swamp land similar to that found along
| the Atlantic coast. and often In the interior
| of the country in which mosquitoes are pro-
| duced and developed under the most favor
| able circumstances, and in 1t we are shown
| how they are born and live ana Gle. IN
| the same case we are taught the best
| methods of exterminatng the insect, and
are shown how such marshes can be drained
| and reclaimed and the evils produced by
| them entirely eradicated.
| The means and methods adopted In New
| Jersey for the determination of mosquitoes
are said to have been more successful than
| in any Of the other states. A large amount
| of money has been expended for that pur-
| nose and science has shown Its greatest
| skill and used its best endeavors with the
| greatest degree of success. Different means
are necessary in different places NO
| single rule applies to all localities, and
hence it is very important that sanitary
officers throughout the United States should
study the valuable object lesson in natural
| history that is presented here.
Remedy for Bites.
To the general public, to the sufferers
from the mosquito pest, the collection of an
tidotes and the instructions as to their use
are particularly valuable. and everybody
ought to know that the New Jersey scien-
lists recommend aqua ammonia and wash
made of carbonate of soda the best
| remedies for mosquito bites The frequent
| application of these solutions will neutralze
the poison and reduce Inflammation more
promptly than anything else
| Every farmers wife and every house.
| holder in villages that are suffering from
| the mosquito pest may learn from this ex-
hibit also that mosquitoes can be exter-
| minated by pouring crude petroleum into
all pools of stagnant water in the nelghbor-
| hood and into barrels that are kept to re-
| ceive the rain water from the roofs of their
| barns and houses. Stagnant water is neeeS-
| sary for the production OF mosquitoes A
| little will produce a good many. A few
| inches In the bottom of a barrel is enough.
| but the remedy is simple and effective. Get
! rid of all the stagnant water in your neigh
| borhood, and If you cannot get rld OF II
| cover the surface with crude petroleum.
| DR. l.. o. Howard, the entomologist of
the Department of Agriculture. has another
very interesting mosquito exhibit In the
| government building, but 1t is not as large
| or as much in detail as that of New Jersey.
| There are many other curious exhibits.
| There ought to be a catalogue of them.
The guide to the exposition grounds is
| very good as far as 1t goes. And there is
| also an official catalogue of exhibits, but
| II is as big as city directory, and contains
| 20 OOO paragraphs. What is needed more
| than anything else is an Infringement that
| will tell people what are the most interest
| ing things to see and where they can be
| found.
| Solid Silver Kitchen Utensils.
All housewives Will De particularly inter-
| ested in the displays of kitchen utensils
| made by various firms in the manufactures
| and varied Industries buildings. The
wealth and extravaganza of the age are IL
Illustrated by the displays of nickel-plated,
| silver-plated and even solid silver kitchen
| utensils. You see chafing dishes and toast
ing apparatus, griddles, waffle irons and
| other articles made of solid silver They
are especially adapted to families who live
in hotels and apartment houses and like to
cook little suppers and lunches for them
| selves. They make Snowy wedding pres
ents and appeal especially to the wives and
daughters of plutocrats who do not know
what to buy each other for Christmas and
| birthday presents and crave new sensa-
tions And while they are, as / have said.
an index to the extravaganza of the age, 1t
is only just to say that we are no worse in
| that respect than the ancient grandees of
Peru and the Indians of Bolivia. for even
this very day you can find solid silver cook
ing and table dishes in the huts of the ma
tives all along the Andes. They are ham
mered out of nuggets of pure silver with
| out alloy, and are used for all the purposes
that we use tin, copper. iron and pottery
| ware. You can buy them some times when
| the owners are hard up, and in the pawn
shops In the cities of Bolivia and Peru you
can sometimes pick up beautiful pieces of
| old native silver that were made by local