44 



"t. Has the work of the Commission so far been of any value in reducing 

 the number of mosquitoes in this community? 



"2. Have you been troubled seriously with mosquitoes in your bedrooms 

 at night? 



"3. How has this community compared with other localities as regards 

 the mosquito pest during the past summer?" 



We immediately received a number of strong letters and 

 testimonials, and I want to read only two or three of them. The 

 first from Allen K. White, who is one of the proprietors of the 

 Marlborough-Blenheim Hotel : 



"I wish to take this opportunity to tell you that I am thoroughly con- 

 vinced that the work accomplished by your Commission is bearing out in 

 results all that was claimed for it. It is the belief of the writer that the 

 fresh-water variety of mosquito, breeding within our town, has been almost 

 eliminated, and the salt-water variety, which, as I understand, travels with 

 favorable winds for considerable distance, has been very much decreased. 



''Taking up your three inquiries I am answering them as they are put. 



"1. To my mind the work of your Commission has been of« very great 

 value to this community in reducing both the local and fresh-water mosquito 

 and the salt-water mosquito. 



"2. During the past year we have had practically no mosquitoes at night 

 in our bedrooms and very few in the house on our lower floors. In fact, 

 until about the middle of the summer there was scarcely a mosquito seen 

 about the house. You will recall that about this time we had quite a con- 

 tinuation of southwesterly winds which seemed to blow from down back of 

 Ocean City, and this wind brought large numbers of the salt-water variety 

 of mosquito which were troublesome for about two weeks, practically only 

 during the prevalence of this wind. 



"3. From my personal observation ! believe that we had fewer mosquitoes 

 in Atlantic City this summer than at any other shore resort in South Jer- 

 sey. In fact, the writer visited' several of the more southerly resorts, where 

 ditching has not been done on the meadows back of them, during part of 

 the summer when we had no mosquitoes here, and I found at those resorts 

 that they were very much troubled with the mosquitoes in the evenings, so 

 that in one resort particularly they found it necessary to spray with some 

 chemical to try to drive the mosquitoes out of the house. 



"From the above you can see that I am quite enthusiastic of the results 

 your Commission has accomplished, and I sincerely hope that the ditching will 

 be continued energetically until all of the meadows within at least 40 miles 

 of Atlantic City have been thoroughly ditched, and I believe when this is 

 accomplished and some sections of the marsh lands have been taken care of 

 that the mosquito will be unknown in this resort. 



"Yours very truly, 



"Allen K. White." 



