REPORT ON MOSQUITOES. 381 



was effectually blocked. Before that flood this was a good 

 meadow and hundreds of tons of hay were taken off every year ; 

 but now it is water-soaked, a regular cjuagmire upon which it 

 is unsafe to venture at times, no hay can be cut on it and mos- 

 quitoes breed almost constantly in many places. To redeem this 

 area the railroad ditches must, first of all, be reopened and the 

 natural drainage restored. After this has been left for a time 

 the surface will work back gradually into a condition that will 

 permit of its better ditching. As it stands now the meadow is 

 altogether too soft to hold a ditch and is like liquid mud under 

 foot after a rain or extra high tide. 



The area between Bound and Oyster Creeks and the Central 

 Railroad is also dangerous. Near the Bound Creek it is not so 

 bad and only a little work is required to make it safe. But 

 things are worse nearer to Oyster Creek and the road. About 

 ten ditches have been cut from the railroad ditch on the east side 

 of the track ; but the same trouble is present here as on the other 

 or west side, except that this ditch is mud-filled. The ditch on 

 the side of the Oyster Creek road is in good working condition 

 and sufficiently large to be used as an outlet for narrow drainage 

 channels. Oyster Creek is also a good outlet and the problem is 

 not a very complicated one; but it will require a good many 

 ditches. 



The territory between Oyster Creek and Sloping Creek has 

 only a few breeding places which can be readily made safe. 



Inspections showed that the area which is between Sloping 

 Creek, Oyster Creek Road, the Central Railroad and Woodruff 

 Creek has a number of bad places. But on this meadow the water 

 soaks away so fast that not many mosquitoes find time to de- 

 velop. Examinations were made several times soon after heavy 

 rains and half grown larvae were found in pools fast drying out 

 while the majority were already dry and had a layer of dead 

 wrigglers on the bottom. Oyster, Sloping and Woodruff Creeks 

 can be used here for drainage outlets as well as the railroad 

 ditch, which is in fair condition here. 



The area south of Woodruff Creek, east of the Central Rail- 

 road to Newark Bay contains little that needs attention, the 

 building of the Central Railroad repair shops having disposed of 

 most of the bad breeding places. 



The area between the Central Railroad, Great Islapd, Wood- 

 ruff Creek and the Farmers road to Great Island is under water 

 most of the time and there are a few very bad breeding places. 

 But in most of the pools there is a good supply of fish which 

 keep the larvse down to a small number. The railroad ditch 



