65 



Ocean County about twenty-two thousand acres of these forty 

 thousand ditched. We cleaned about 1,350,000 feet, I think, for 

 the sum of twelve hundred dollars. 



Now, we have got a great many troubles in Ocean County to 

 fight besides the Board of Freeholders. The Bay Head section 

 of the meadows is flat, almost level with the water. They are 

 twenty-four miles from the tidewater, which comes.in Barnegat 

 Inlet, and the rise and fall of tides is very little. The ditches 

 are filled with kind of a soft ooze, and when you put a drag 

 through it the stuff follows right in behind the drag and there 

 is hardly anything to 1 lift out. Yet the ditch is full of something 

 that does not wash out, and the fish do not easily travel the 

 whole length of the ditch. When they get the Manasquan Canal 

 dug, perhaps we will get more or less flow of water through them, 

 but it is going to cost us a good deal of money up in that section 

 to produce the best results. The county is now ditched almost to 

 the end of Stafford Township. Your Atlantic County Com- 

 mission has taken care of their territory to a few miles south of 

 the Mullica River, leaving a piece of very bad territory which 

 you will remember they said they were not particularly interested 

 in. You will also remember that they expressed great interest 

 in a corresponding bit of territory lying just south of the Great 

 Egg Harbor River. Naive, aren't they ? 



The Mullica River is the dividing line between Ocean, Burling- 

 ton and Atlantic Counties. About 1 0,000* acres of salt marsh 

 are included in Burlington. When Ocean County's ditching and 

 Atlantic County's work approach the Burlington line we will do 

 something to make her realize that she has neighbors. 



These meetings are very delightful, and they bring a lot of 

 men together who are trying to do the best they can, driving out 

 different things. As Dr. Hunt said, we are educating ourselves 

 and I think every time we come together we find out something 

 for our mutual benefit, and I have learned something to-night. 



The President — Dr. Dobbins' paper will be carried further 

 on the program. Dr. Headlee will have a word and we will then 

 adjourn. 



5 mo 



