0)1 Mosquito Extermination. 53 



water swamps. Portions of these areas produce billions of 

 annoying pestiferous insects, which, under certain conditions, 

 are a serious menace to public health as well as a nearly un- 

 endurable nuisance. The practicability, as previously stated, 

 of reducing this annoyance and danger to a minimum, has 

 been demonstrated, and it is our pleasure to discuss briefly 

 what the State should do to aid in bringing about more sani- 

 tary conditions, not only in the vicinity of this great citv but 

 in other sections of the State. 



In the first place, this is not a matter which can be ade- 

 quately controlled by general laws, except possibly those giv- 

 ing, where necessary, a larger degree of authority to Boards 

 of Health. This problem is something which must be taken 

 up largely by local authorities and carried as far as the com- 

 munity interested will permit. It is very true that not all 

 marshy areas lend themselves kindly to political boundaries, 

 and in not a few instances it will probably be necessary for 

 the authorities in one place to co-operate with those in adja- 

 cent towns. There are, in addition to these smaller areas, some 

 extensive ones, the treatment of which would hardly devolve 

 upon adjacent towns and which might be attended to by coun- 

 ties. It is possible that where these extended areas are of more 

 than local importance, that the State should do something 

 toward remedying the difficulty. 



The work so far done about New York City has been per- 

 formed under considerable disadvantages, because it has been 

 impossible for local associations, with the funds at their dis- 

 posal, to give proper attention to the scientific aspects of the 

 case and at the same time carry on the extensive practical 

 operations necessary. Experience in other fields of applied en- 

 tomology has demonstrated time and again not only the ad- 

 visability but the necessity, from an economic standpoint, of 

 basing practical work upon scientific investigations. No one 

 thinks of employing an architect to superintend the construc- 

 tion of a dry goods box, and yet the man who undertook to 

 erect one of these large buildings without such skill at his 

 command, would engage in a foolish undertaking. In the 

 same way, it requires little scientific knowledge to drain a 

 small swamp or kill a few mosquitoes. It is entirely different 

 when w-e undertake to apply these processes to large areas and 

 secure results extending over a period of years. This can be 



