28 N. J. Mosquito Extermination Association 



gotten and prdbably accounted for the Oippositioni from the 

 county. We hope such weather conditions will not occur again 

 until after the drainage systems are compileted. 



Atlantic County can now boast of having installed more ditch- 

 ing than any other county in the state. To date we have 

 5,520,310 lineal feet, or 1,045 miles of ditches, including both 

 the 10 by 30-inch main ditches and the 7 by 20-inch spur ditches. 

 This has been attained largely through our own efforts, having 

 received no aid from the state since the first two years of active 

 work. This ditching covers about 18,756 acres, or about 60 

 per cent of the known breeding areas. The known breeding 

 areas were determined by eliminating all meadows covered by 

 average high tides, and, therefore, open to enemies of mosquito 

 larvae — the killifish. 



In our reports of previous years, mention has been made of 

 ''the meadows to the southwest of us to be drained before relief 

 can be looked for." Part of this section is in Cape May County 

 and part in Atlantic County. Atlantic County can report 

 progress to the extent of over one million feet of ditches in this 

 section, and is looking forward to the day when Cape May 

 County can make the same report.- 



Our neighbor to the north. Ocean County, has asked when we 

 expect to drain the Mullica River marshes. When the drainage 

 on the west side of the Great Egg Harbor River is completed 

 and the residents of this county relieved of mosquitoes in thai 

 section, then we may devote our appropriation to the meadows 

 on the Mullica River, provided we are able to procure labor at 

 that time. 



A shortage of labor was experienced in the past spring com- 

 pelling the shut-down of both ditching machines in order to 

 release men for the annual clean-up of ditches. In this respect 

 the future outlook is not encouraging, as labor throughout the 

 county is responding to the lure of big wages in the ship-yards 

 and munition plants on the Delaware River, making the procur- 

 ing of sufficient men to carry on the maintenance work in the 

 spring of 191 8 a problem. The machines are now manned by 

 old men and boys below draft age. The boys are slowly enlisting 

 in the army and navy and the supply of old men is nearly ex- 



