on Mosquito Extermination. 41 



active part in its successful solution. The City of New York — 

 the largest city in the United States, and soon to be, in point of 

 numbers, probably the greatest in the world — has at its very 

 door a region, which, for residence and recreation purposes, 

 and for variety of scenic effects, is unsurpassed. It is a region 

 "where every prospect pleases, and only the mosquito is vile," 

 and both State and local aid should be generously extended to 

 prevent its charm being lessened by this annoying and dan- 

 gerous insect. 



I take it that on such an occasion as this you desire the sup- 

 port and co-operation of those present, and I am glad to send 

 my assurances that The Long Island Railroad Company will, 

 in the future as in the past, do what it properly can to aid in the 

 good work of mosquito extermination. 



Very truly yours, 



W. H. Baldwin, Jr. 



Mr. Weeks: May I supplement that with just a word? 

 The Long Island Railroad, I think very largely, through the 

 recommendation of Mr. Baldwin, has done a large amount of 

 work already in this matter, in the work in which we arc en- 

 gaged in the southern part of Brooklyn ; last season they 

 trimmed out some sunken lots of brush taking 90 days ; later 

 they sent hundreds of carloads and filled in spaces whose waters 

 were uncovered and have others in view, and have finally con- 

 sented to the plan proposed of filling in the trestle over Coney 

 Island Creek and putting a tide gate at the crossing of the 

 Manhattan Beach track and thus drain an area of 500 acres. 

 (Appendix A.) Mr. Baldwin's efforts also covered work in the 

 vicinity of Flushing which the road did in the way of draining 

 pools, etc., made by its causeways over meadows and also in the 

 neighborhood of Bayside and Douglaston, the outlay in all 

 amounting to hundreds of dollars. So that Mr. Baldwin's mod- 

 est statement that he is not sufficiently versed in this matter is, I 

 think, rather disproved by the fact that he has shown in a very 

 interesting and substantial way his co-operation in this 

 movement. 



