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SOME EXPERIENCE WITH MOSaUITOES. 



My H<)\VA1M> J'^\ AIMS Wkicd, Aijricultural College, Miss. 



While it lias been known for some time that a small amount of kero- 

 sene placed upon water containing the larvse of the mosquito will kill 

 the larvie and thus to some extent lessen the number of mosquitoes in 

 a locality, it was not until Mr. Howard gave his experience with the 

 remedy that we realized how easy it was to rid a locality of the mos- 

 (juito pest. In the French quarter of ISTew Orleans it has been a com- 

 mon practice for many years to place kerosene in the water tanks to 

 lessen the number of mosquitoes in that locality; but I know of nothing 

 that has been written showing that such is the case, and in this age 

 of advancement we can no longer go by hearsay evidence. Every- 

 thing must be fonnded upon known facts, and these facts can only be 

 ascertained by experiment. Thinking that some experience with the 

 kerosene remedy for mosquitoes which I have had this season might be 

 of interest, I wish to state the following as corroborative of what Mr. 

 Howard has shown in regard to the simplicity of the remedy. 



On the college campus are eleven large water tanks, two of which 

 are used for drinking water aiid the others for irrigation and fire pro- 

 tection Not far from the limits of the campus are also four pools of 

 standing water, three of which are used for watering stock and the 

 other for irrigation in the horticultural department. These pools, how- 

 ever, are well stocked with fish, and as I have never fom d any mos- 

 quito larvre in the pools, I am under the impression that the fish keep 

 the pools clear of them. 



Before the water tanks were built the college campus had been quite 

 free from mosquitoes, but the evil has been constantly upon the increase, 

 reaching its climax early the present season. I have often advised 

 that a small amount of kerosene be placed in each of the water tanks, 

 and the college proctor several times informed me that he '' had a nig- 

 ger put kerosene in the tanks every week, but it did no good." The 

 college physician also stated that he had placed some kerosene in ajar 

 of water containing some of the wiggletails, but that the kerosene 

 had not killed them, thus regarding the remedy recommended as inef- 

 fective. 



By the 20th of June of the present year mosquitoes had become so 

 numerous on the college campus as to make life a burden, and sleeping 

 without a mosquito bar was out of the question. Wishing to demon- 

 strate the effectiveness of the remedy which I had recommended, I took 

 a large glass jar and filled it nearly full with water from one of the 

 tanks, which was fairly alive with the mosquito larvae. The jar con- 

 tained several hundred of the larva? and I took it to the college physi 

 cian, i)oured a little kerosene in the jar, and asked him to please watch 

 the effect. This was as expected, for within fifteen minutes all the larvae 



