412 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



CHAPTER III. 

 ATLANTIC COUNTY. 



a. THE ABSKCON ISLAND PROBLEM. 



Practically this should be called the Atlantic City Problem, 

 since the hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors to that 

 resort are the greatest sufferers; but Atlantic City dislikes to 

 admit that it is infested and is really the smallest factor in the 

 mosquito problem. 



Nevertheless it is a fact that not only are mosquitoes present 

 at Atlantic City at all times during the season, but that at times 

 they are unpleasantly abundant along the boardwalk, on the piers 

 and pavilions and even in the rooms of the hotels. 



For several weeks all told, during the season of 1903, Mr. H. 

 H. Brehme was detailed to make a thorough investigation of 

 the territory extending from Absecon Island to the mainland, 

 to Somers Point, to Ocean City and to Brigantine Beach. At 

 several periods during the season I spent a day or two with Mr. 

 Brehme, and during early September devoted a week to the 

 determination of where the local supply of pipiens was developed. 



At the northeastern end of Atlantic City, at the inlet, there 

 is a little stretch of marsh land which contains breeding holes 

 where a considerable number of insects are brought out. Some 

 of these holes can be readily filled from easily accessible material, 

 and the balance needs only a few short ditches to the Inlet or 

 Gardner's basin. Along the line of the trolley, on both sides. 

 there are depressed areas from the Inlet almost to the car sheds, 

 and these fill with heavy rains and breed mosquitoes in quantity. 

 A very little filling is needed in most of these places and there is 

 no difficulty whatever in getting rid of all the danger spots in this 

 section. 



A much larger tract where larvae often occur in great quan- 

 tities lies north of Mediterranean Avenue, between Tennessee 

 Avenue and Gardner's Basin, and this is much the worst nearest 

 to the Mediterranean Avenue. This area can be ditched without 

 much trouble, though nearest to the avenue some filling would 

 save considerable ditching. In this section improvements are 

 almost constant and the breeding territory becomes reduced each 

 year. It is only a matter of time, therefore, for the complete 

 redemption of this place, but in one year the whole breeding area 

 could be wiped out with little trouble. So long as this territory 



