62S NE\Y JERSEY AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE 



forms uo' sort of bar to the flight of the salt marsh mosquitoes from 

 one side to the other. Until Staten Island conditions were im- 

 proved, the New Jersey communities from Xewark to Perth 

 Amboy and furthei' inland would be subject to periodical inva- 

 sions, and, on the other hand, the Staten Island communities cannot 

 get the full benefit of their work until the Ncav Jersey marshes 

 between the same points are cleaned up. 



Efforts were therefore made from the beginning to secure the 

 co-operation of the New York authorities, and the New York De- 

 partment of Health, mainly through the influence of Dr. Alvah 

 H. Doty, has accepted in full the general plan of extermination 

 advocated in Xew Jersey. Dr. Doty had made a study of the suV 

 ject as it manifested itself on Staten Island, and had, independ- 

 ently, reached much the same conclusions as the writer. Conse- 

 quently he was quite ready to accept responsibility for carrying 

 out the plans suggested for Staten Island, and a survey of the 

 marsh area was made at his request, upon which an estimate of 

 probable cost was made which resulted in an appropriation, for 

 the work by the City of ]^ew York. 



The general plan of this work is much like that followed for 

 the JSTewark and Elizabeth marshes, and it ^ involved the entire 

 island. Work was started in the fall of 1905 and completed on 

 the east and south shore before the opening of the spring of 1906. 

 On the western shore the work has been continued throughout the 

 suinmer and is now (o^ovember) practically completed. The ob- 

 ject has been to drain off all surface water so as to prevent mos- 

 quito breeding, and that work has been an unqualified success. For 

 the entire season the Midland and South Beach shore resorts have 

 been practically free from mosquitoes and have prcjspered beyond 

 all measure. Where, in previous years, ai)proaching dusk heralded 

 a homeward movement because the mosquito pest became simply 

 unendurable, during the past season the evenings were the most 

 enjoyable periods of the days. Putting up the screens was post- 

 poned from time to time until the summer was gone, and it was 

 realized that there had been a real revolution. Where, in past 

 seasons porches were used only when carefully screened in, these 

 screened-in areas were not used at all. The members of the Coun- 

 try Club and frequenters of the golf links derived the full benefit 

 of the improvement, and while no body of men had been more 



