Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1906-08-23
GLOUCESTER COUNTY Is MOSQUITO
PLAGUED.

South Jersey is visited BY plague q
mosquitoes. No place is known which is
not visited By them, and a steady slap
slap is heard wherever man is.
The worst infected places are those near
the creeks and river. From Pedficktown,
Bridgeport, Repaupo, Gibbstown and PauIs-
boro come reports Of clouds Of the pests
that are so ferocious as to attempt to carry
off horses and men in the fields.
ITO work in the Repaupo meadows" says
A. A. Wiltsee, Of Repaupo, is almost i'm
possible. When one does go there it is
necessary to quit work in the middle CT the
afternoon. for after that time the 'skeeters
become so thick that so much time is neces-
sary to fight them that work is out Of the
question. y Mr.. Wiltsee says that be has two
colts that are loose in the meadows and ex-
posed to the insects. They are as fas as
butter he says, but are covered with little
hard Jumps from the bites. At these places
can rub the hair off with my finger, but
as long as they are fat and frisky the life is
good for them. They roll a lot though.
The most Of the mosquitoes are not the
small buzzing kind usually found about
the Jersey sands in summer, but are several
times the usual size. Their wings are a
blush green, and their proboscis are
nearly as long and fully as sharp as needles
AT small social affair at Bridgeport one
evening last week young lady suddenly
unped and screamed. Someone suggested
mouse and another rat as the cause,
but the lady explained that very large
mosquito had settled on her arm, and the
weight of it made her believe it was
some monstrous bird. Later the mosquito
was found in corner and watched while
pitch fork was obtained and the thing
killed. Exaggerated just trife, the insect
was the size of buzzard, and had to be
carried out in potato sack and inferred in
a tomato patch.
William Fisher, Of Woodbury., while
driving with a party near National Park
last week, ran into cloud, " he said, Of
these large mosquitoes along weedy road,
and for ten minutes nothing was done save
combat the ferocious host.
The cause of such numbers of mosquitoes
is believed to be the heavy rains, which,
beginning the latter part of June have been
almost ceaseless through the st. Swithin
period Of forty days, TT just rains 'em'
said one farmer when commenting on the
subject.
This year they are not timid as is often
the case, and instead Of approaching slowly
and hnmming their mournful song, they
come softly aud silently, alight, and bore
away as if there was competition in. the
business. The first knowledge one has Of
their presence is painful one that comes
from the region of the limbs or neck, Some
people say that Pitman is free from mos
ouitos, but correspondent Of the DEMO-
GRAFT who spent three days at the Changers
Picnic found the usual number, and they
were out for blood
Meanwhile Gloucester County is plagued
by mosquitoes. If the appropriation that
was made by the State for the extermina-
tion Of mosquitoes in all parts Ct the State is
available. why not use little Of it to spread
oil on the troubled waters of South Jersey
and all Of US would testify as to the result.
Perhaps the mosquitoes could be make to
work at night only, anyway, and to obey
the eight hour law, and sleep during the
day when most people seek comfort in the
open air.