642 NEW JERSEY AGRICULTUEAL COLLEGE 



New Durham. 



Early in May, after some correspondence, I met with a com- 

 mittee from the board of trade of ]^ew Durham to look over the 

 general mosquito situation. The town is on the Palisades, and 

 the slope is abrupt to the Ilackensack valley. The Eric and New 

 York and JSTew Jersey railroad tracks run between the foot of the 

 Palisades and the Penhorn creek, leaving a considerable swamp 

 area to which the railroad embankments serve as an outer dam. 

 There is also a swampy area between the two lines where, at the 

 time of my visit, water was standing, but no wrigglers were ap- 

 parent. 



Mr. Brehme was detailed to make a more careful study of the 

 surroundings, and did so on May 15th. The cat-tail and reed- 

 covered area of the valley had been under observation for two years 

 previously, and was known to be safe, yet it was again examined 

 to make certain that conditions remained the same. It was fouiLd 

 also that Avhile at the time of the examination no larva3 were pres- 

 ent, a part at least of the swamp area basing the Palisades might 

 become breeding ground for C. pipiens or sylvestris. This danger 

 area was mapped out, a ditch system for its relief was suggested, 

 and on tlie evening of the 23d a public lecture was delivered at the 

 town hall under the auspices of the board of trade. 



The matter was then left with the local authorities as one that 

 did not come within the scope of the State Aid law, but it was also 

 agreed that the territory would be kept under observation during 

 the season. 



June 28th, Mr. Brehme made a second investigation and found 

 that the breeding places had been over, rather than under, esti- 

 mated, and that some of the supposed dangerous ground was then 

 so densely overgrown that no larvse could possibly breed in it. 

 And this safe condition persisted during the balance of the year. 

 At this time some mosquitoes were noted early in the evening, and 

 nine cantaior, seven sollicitans and one pipiens were taken — six- 

 teen salt marsh specimens and one local. 



July 19th, conditions in the sus})eoted areas were still good, but 

 mosquitoes were very abundant. The wind had been from the 

 southwest for several days and representatives of brood 5, from 

 the Jersey City meadows, were on hand. Y^et C. pipiens was well 



