4i8 AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



Mr. Brehme went by boat to Tuckerton, down Tuckerton Bay 

 to Mullica River; up the Bass River; up the Wading River and 

 up the MulHca River to Hog- Island. Also to the islands in 

 Little Egg Harbor; crossed the meadows south of Tuckerton 

 Creek ; crossed Tuckerton Creek and went up two miles toward 

 Parkertown. 



The trip was made during a dry spell and on the higher parts of 

 the marsh all the pools were bare of water. This high part is to- 

 ward the shore, while the edge along the highland is the lowest 

 part of the marsh and always wet. Not a sign of larvse at the 

 edges of the marsh but plenty of pools along the highland swarm- 

 ing with larvae and pupae. This general topography was identical 

 over all the territory examined, and gives an enormous extent 

 of continuous breeding territory in even a dry season. As a 

 whole the marsh is very solid and haying is done over a consid- 

 erable stretch of it with machines. Wherever there is a road, 

 it cuts into the marsh and forms depressions which fill wath 

 water and breed mosquitoes. There are some ditches cut by the 

 hay-makers, but these are usually shallow and have been al- 

 lowed to become choked. They serve now as excellent breeding 

 places in many instances ; where they are in good condition they 

 drain perfectly and no lai'vae develop. On the highest parts of 

 the marsh, along the shores of the bay, rivers and the numerous 

 little creeks that run in everywhere, mosquito breeding seems 

 amost impossible. A little further back from the edge the marsh 

 is lower, becomes broken and has depressions, shallow and deep. 

 In the deep depressions there are nearly always fishes present so 

 that these are safe. The shallow depressions become dangerous 

 after a very high tide that runs in through heavy grass which 

 excludes fish. If cool, cloudy or rainy weather retards evapora- 

 tion, these pools mature a large brood. The nearer we approach 

 the highland the worse conditions become, for there the tide water 

 soaks in, and is fairly strained of fish before it gets on the 

 meadow. 



Dr. Nelson, who studies oysters on this marsh during the 

 summer, says that sometimes it is necessary to wade for a con- 

 siderable distance from the highland to the high marsh through 

 three or four inches of water which is absolutely swarming with 

 mosquito larvae. Such conditions occurring over square miles 

 of territory give the uncountable millions that swamp the pine 

 land. The history of one such brood as given by Dr. Nelson will 

 be found under the mosquito migration heading. 



The islands visited by Mr. Brehme are well drained, stocked 

 with fish and fiddler crabs and without any chance of developing 

 mosquito larvae. 



