on Mosquito Extermination. 55 



places, and this work may be continued to great advantage for 

 a series of years and result in very material improvements 

 without much cost. Temporary methods of controlling this 

 pest should be regarded, generally speaking, as makeshifts, 

 and most of our efforts directed toward securing permanent 

 improvements. Exceedingly valuable work may be accom- 

 plished by Boards of Health of cities and villages, as has been 

 pointed out in an earlier paper. 



A general biological survey cannot be conducted without 

 funds, and it is only proper to state in this connection that, in 

 our judgment, from three to five thousand dollars annually 

 for a period of three or four years would be sufficient for a 

 close study of the entire situation and would result in securing 

 a vast amount of information which would be of supreme im- 

 portance to all communities attempting to solve this problem. 

 It would seem only proper that the initiation of any such move- 

 ment should be from the communities likely to be benefited, 

 and certainly the residents of New York City and its environs 

 are more deeply concerned in solving this problem than those 

 in any other section of the State. 



Our position may therefore be summarized as follows : 

 Generally speaking, mosquito control should be undertaken by 

 local communities. We, however, recognize the necessity of 

 expert advice, and hold that the State, owing to the general 

 utility of such knowledge, should make ample provision for its 

 acquirement and dissemination. 



Chairman : I am informed that ]\Ir. Frederick C. Beach, 

 of Stratford, Conn., editor of the Scientific American, has been 

 with us. It would have been a great pleasure for us to have 

 heard him in person. But Mr. Beach has left a paper which 

 the Secretary will read. 



WHAT THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO. 



Frederick C. Beach. 



The mosquito plague is now so old and familiar and is of 

 such universal annual occurrence that its partial elimination 

 only is of the utmost public importance. 



