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an investigation and also authorizing an appropriation of ten 

 thousand dollars ($10,000) therefor. 



The money did not become available until 1903, when the work 

 of investigation, which had been begun in 1902 with a fund of 

 one thousand dollars ($1,000) contributed by Governor Franklin 

 Murphy from his emergency fund, went forward rapidly. 



In 1904 Dr. Srnith published a large special report on the -sub- 

 ject showing that there were thirty odd species of mosquitoes in 

 the State and that of this number only ten were really important. 

 This report also showed there were two tremendously important 

 species, which bred exclusively on the salt marshes and flew and 

 were wind carried for a long distance over the adjacent upland 

 reaching, in some cases, points forty miles from the place where 

 they were bred. This discovery at once explained the failure of 

 early local attempts at control, for it pointed out the source of 

 the suddenly appearing hordes that spoiled the work. 



The report also showed that the eggs of these species are .laid 

 on the marshes by every brood as it matures and that not all the 

 eggs laid in a season hatch the same season, thus keeping the 

 marsh constantly stocked with eggs. Every time the marsh is 

 covered with water either from the tide or from rainfall, a new 

 brood of wrigglers hatch providing the weather is warm, and all 

 such as escape destruction by fish and other natural enemies and 

 have water for a sufficient period develop in adult mosquitoes. 



This report showed the most promising method of eliminating 

 these important salt-marsh species lay in trenching the breeding 

 salt marsh in such a fashion as to eliminate stagnant water. It 

 advocated the deep, narrow trench with proper outlet as the most 

 practical form: of ditch. 



This report showed anew that the house mosquito was a very 

 important species, that it bred in standing fresh or polluted 

 water about and in the vicinity of human habitation, that it passed 

 the winter in cellars and other sheltered places and that it bred 

 generation after generation throughout the summer, that it pene- 

 trated ordinary screen wire and troubled the sleeper and that it 

 was not a migrant. 



This report showed there was apparently only one species of 



