The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1908-03-25
TIE MOSQUITO PEST.
Ihey Can be Extcrminnted if Proper
Measures .5rc Adopted.


tlons, are unanimous in the opinion
that mosquitoes play very important
part in the dissemination of quite a
number of diseases, and if this be
true, and of it there can be no oues
uon, except on the part Of those peo-
pie who won't accept any evidence.
then every possible effort should be
made to extern1inate these pests, both
as matter Of health and comfort.
AS the result of the writer's obser-
Vatlons, he does not hesitate to af-
firm that there is not city or town
in tho State, except the ones on the
sea coast, and possibly q very few To-
Gated near the larger rivers, that cam
not be rid Cf these pests if syste-
matte warfare is waged against them
and the work of determination should
begin without delay. The trouble is
that most people endure them under
the impression that there is no help
for it, but this has been shown, time
and again, to be mistake, nd the
worst of it is that It is often. not only d
costly but very distressing mistake.
death in the flnily being often the
result IF a ctrelessness that is but lit
tic short of criminal.
The female mosquito deposits her
eggs in any stagnant water that is
accessible. snd once this is done we
can look out for countless swarlas OF
these disease carrying and sleep rob-
bine insects. and it takes only q very
small quantity of water to hatch the
eggs; an cid tin can, carelcssly thrown
under hedge, holding half pint of
rair water will furnish an ample sup
pyl Of mosquitoes for q whole neigh
borhood. Their powers OF fight are
very poor, and unless waited, as is
sometimes the caseJ by favorable
wind, are seldom found far from
where they are developed The only
possible medium for their Matching is
stagnant water and if this be removed
they simply perish. A good many
people labor under the delusion that
sewerage system will rid us of these
pests, but the sewers do not carry off
a particle of surface water and have
no more effect in the way Of getting
rid of these pests than the strineing
OF telephone wires along the streets.
Sumter has always enjoyed the rep
utation Of being a healthy place, and
a reputation OF this knid is OF incalcu-
liable value. and it is OF supreme i'm
portance that this good name be pre-
served; for xhe simple reason thai it
is just as hard for a city to live down
bad reputation as it is for the indi-
vidual, and it will he we'll for the fu-
ture growth Of this rapidly growing
city If its people will keep this ever
in mind. The public spirited citi-
zens Of Sumer should see to it that
their city not Only has a reputation T.
for business enterprise, but for health
also. 1t is no exaggeration to say
that it would be worth at least $4,000
a year to Sumter to be rid of this mos
quito nuisance, and this riddance can
be accomplished by the intelligent
expenditure Of some time and money.
The warfare, however, must be sys-
1cmatically and persistently carried
on and every citizen who leaves stag
na.nt water on his premises should be
heavily fined. Wire screens will, to
some extent at least, keep them out
of the house, but nobody feels like
staying in the house from sundown to
sunrise, to say nothing Of the fact that
the young folks would be prevented
from making use of the hammocks
and jogging board, and this, to them
at least, would be deprivation too
serious TO be considered for n single
moment
| What IS needed is for the drains to
be kept thoroughly cleaned out, low
places that hold water to be either
drained or filled n, or If this be i'm
practicable, the water treated with "a
little kerosene OIL, and when this is
done the mosquito will be a thing Of
the past so far as Sumter is concern
ed. If there is city or town in thu
State that is making any Intelligent
| and systematic effort to rid itself of
| these pests, the writer has never heard
| of it. In the spring of 1906, the
| resident Of Columbia, tried to arouse
| the board of health to undertake a
| fight against the mosquito nuisance,
but Was Informed that the board had
no money for this purpose.
The writer saw IN the yards OF the