76 N. J. Mosquito Extermination Association 



doned when opportunity was given to find a home and employ- 

 ment where the constant battle with the pests might be given 

 over. 



Two significant instances bearing upon this point may be re- 

 ferred to. One of my own assistants, a man who came to the 

 state from Rhode Island some four or five years ago, was so 

 impressed with our agricultural advantages that he gave up his 

 service in forestry and bought a farm right west of here across 

 the Great Egg Harbor River. He struggled with the mosquitoes 

 for something over a year, determined to win out, and then had 

 an opportunity to sell. ' When he looked for another farm — 

 because he was still convinced that farming was the opportunity 

 open to him — he left New Jersey and bought his new farmi on 

 the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware. I asked, "Why did you 

 leave us?" He replied, ''I was prepared to fight the mosquitoes 

 as long as it was up to me to win out on that land, but when I 

 had to get away I was going to get all the way away." 



There is another case in Cape May County. An agricult^^ral 

 school established by the Baron De Hirsch Foundation struggled 

 for twenty-five years to establish itself, and having done a great 

 amount of good within that time is definitely abandoned now, 

 and the assigned reason is mosquitoes. The entire investment 

 of over $250,000 is offered to-day for a tenth of that sum be- 

 cause they cannot keep instructors there. 



Now for some figures. Unfortunately, it is impossible to state 

 in a way the loss that the state has suffered, because it is repre- 

 sented by little that is positive. Lost opportunities, backward 

 towns, abandoned farms and undeveloped resorts are like the 

 fish that got away. 



But we do know that there are in our eight South Jersey coun- 

 ties 631,000 acres of farm land whose official average valuation 

 is only $56 per acre. (The average value of farm land in Illi- 

 nois was $95 per acre in 19 10. ) li these farms, with their near- 

 by markets and other advantages, can be raised to an average 

 value of $150 an acre — and that is reasonable — the increase 

 would equal $59,000,000. Bear in mind, if you please, that these 

 soils are good soils. There is a fallacy in the idea that the land 

 of the whole of South Jersey is sterile and valueless. Definite 



