DESTROYING AND REPELLING MOSQUITOES 85 



no mosquitoes can breed there. Tanks not especially 

 needed should be taken down. This should always be 

 done whenever possible, because a tank down and out 

 of the way will be sure to give no trouble. All receptacles 

 like buckets, and barrels, should be looked after and 

 emptied at least once a week, and permanently if possible. 

 Permanent ditches that trouble us most should be tiled 

 and the water conducted a long distance from the house. 

 In many cases, it is much easier to draw a wagon load of 

 earth or even more to fill up a small shallow pool than to 

 dig an outlet. Draining is the most desirable means of 

 fighting mosquitoes because if once well done, it is always 

 done and needs no attention afterward. There are hun- 

 dreds of swamps and marshes near habitations that could 

 be drained with comparatively little expense. When we 

 come to realize fully the discomfort, sickness, and deaths 

 that occur from malaria because of the presence, in the 

 vicinity, of a small swamp in which malarial mosquitoes 

 develop, the small matter of the expenditure of a little 

 money will hardly be taken into consideration. The only 

 question seriously considered will be the one concerning 

 the best method of drainage. 



FISH VERSUS MOSQUITOES 



There are often pools or bodies of water that cannot, 

 for one reason or another, be drained. There are also 

 pools and ponds of water used for ornamental purposes 

 that add greatly to the beauty and enjoyment of a land- 

 scape but that serve as prolific breeding grounds for 

 mosquitoes. It is not desirable to drain such pools nor 

 is it feasible to treat them with oils or other substances 



