The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-01-01

between Jersey City and Newark has
been particularly favorable to the de-
velopment of mosquito larvae. It has
/ been announced in the press that mos
/ quitoes have been driven out of the
Newark meadows. This is an exagger-
Gtion, of course, but the work accom-
plished there is remarkable, and other
infected regions may take heart from
the marked success which has attended
the efforts of DR.. John 3. Smith, en-
tomologist of the New Jersey state Ag-
ricultural Experiment Station.
The salt marsh lying within the lin
its of the city of Newark covers an
area of about $500 acres. 1t extends
from point on the Pasaic River to the
mouth of Bound Creek, where it emp
ties into Newark Bay It's length is
about eight miles and it has an ex-
treme width of three miles. The New
ark marsh problem was a very COM
pick one. The meadows are cut into
many sections by the several travers- |
ing railroads and by creeks; this mate /
rally influences the drainage. The Ped
die street sewer crosses the marsh i'm
straight line of about thre, miles from
the icy ito the bay. This sewer is
twenty feet wide, and its banks are
from three to four feet above the
marsh land.
An experiment with machine ditching
was made in 1903. The worst parts OF
the marsh were selected and about 40
600 feet of bitches were cut. These
bitches were six inches wide, two feet
deep, and the drainage was perfect
from the outset. The section of meadow
thus drained became 50 dry in conse-
quence that the grass growing there
can now De cut by a machine in sum-
mer, whereas formerly they could
be mown only in winter The work
was SO successful that the Newark
common concil appropriated $4,000 to
complete the mosquito drainage of the
marsh.
The wealthy summer residents along
the north shore of Long Island, keenly
alive to the necessity of driving mos
quitoes from the region where they
spend so much of their time, have at
tackled the problem in a scientific, as
well as an energetic way. The North
Shore Improvement Association en-
, trusted the work to Henry Clay Weeks,
sanitary engineer, with whom was
dSSOCldleub DIS tlllOlllOlOBlSlt lbltSSOI
Charles B. Davenport. professor of en-
. tomology at the University of Chicago
and head of the Cold Spring Biologi-
/, cal Laboratory; also f. F. Lutz, an in
, structor in biology at the University Of
, Chicago. Professor n. S. Shaler, Of
Harvard University, the most eminent
authority in the country on marine
marshes, was retained to make a spe-
cial examination of the salt marshes
with a view to recommending the best
means of dominating what were the
g most prolific breeding-grounds of mos
quitoes. A detailed examination of the
entire territory was made. Practically
every breeding place of mosquitoes, in
Guiding the smaller pools and streams
= and even the various artificial recep-
= tacles of water, was located and re-
a Ported on. Mr. Weeks, with his assist
ant, then examined each body of wa
ter in which mosquito larvae had beer
found, with a view to devising the best
t means of preventing the fruther breed
ing of mosquitoes in these plague
= spots. Finally, a report was prepared
s together with a map on which was 10,
e Gated every mutual breeding place.
= Important Investigations have beer
n made in Connecticut by the Agricul.
tural Experiment Station, under the
4 direction of w. f. Britton and Henry L
s Viereck, and the results have beer
s most encouraging. DR.. Howard, in his
h directions for fighting mosquitoes, ac.
+ knowledges his Indebtedness to the very
y successful experiments carried on al
It Staten Island Maryland is aroused tC
e the point of action. DR.. Howard A
= Kelley of Johns Hopkins University, Is
= to cooperate with Thomas B. Symons
e the States entomologist, is carrying
n the war to the shores Of Chesapeak,
: Bay. Home talent" moreover. car
e accomplish much. To fight intelligent
= ly, let it not be forgotten, the battl,
Il should be directed against the larvae
u These wrigglers are bred for aquati,
: life; therefore, it is to all standinl
u water that attention should be directed
g Mosquito larvae will not breed in largC
{ ponds, or in open, permanent pools, ex
y cent at the edges, because the water Il
L ruffed by the wind. Any pool can bC
rendered free from wrigglers by clean
. Ing up the edges and stocking will
Il fish, Every fountain or artificial waite
basin ought to be so stocked, If it Il
IT only with goldfish. The house-owne
T should not overlook any pond, howeve
e small, or a puddle of water, a ditch, O.
IS any depression which retains water !
- half-flled pail, a watering-trough, evei
= tin receptacle, will likely be popu
. lated with mosquito larvae Water
e barrels are fayorite haunts for wrig
e glers.
II There are those, however, who will
d obstinately conduct their campaign
= against the adult mosquito. II ener
- getic, such persons will search tn
:, house with a kerosene cup attached t
u stick; when this is held under rest
&c ing mosquitoes the insects fall into tn
q cup and are destroyed. Those possesset
of less energy daub their faces ant
y hands with camphOr or with the oil n