74 N. J. Mosquito Extermination Association 



This is nearly everywhere well saturated with water, and in moving 

 about over it, one sinks in to a depth of from 3 to 5 inches. Much 

 of the surface, perhaps one-fifth, is overflowed by the average 

 flood tide. The remainder lies a few inches too hig^h to be reached 

 by the daily tides, but, according to local fishermen and musk rat 

 hunters, is generally pretty well covered by extra high storm 

 tides. It is this area above the reach of ordinary tides that is dan- 

 gerous from a mosquito control viewpoint. There is evidently 

 water standing about the bases of the cattails over much of this 

 area for long periods at a time. And, according to residents of the 

 neighborhood, mosquitoes breed here in countless numbers. The 

 remedy would seem to be ditching. All the lower-lying parts could 

 be opened to the action of the tide and the higher land drained. 

 This ditching, on account of the soft nature of the ground, would 

 be more expensive to install and maintain than the typical salt 

 marsh drainage. But the basis for a drainage system is present in 

 the form of natural waterways which penetrate the island at various 

 places. 



More than half of the 1,260 acres of marsh indicated on Little 

 Timber Creek (do not confuse with the Little Timber Creek of 

 Camden County) consists of woodland ; and much of the latter is 

 cedar swamp. But around the borders oi the cedar swamp and 

 continuous with it, are areas of open tussock and cattail, with some 

 alder and maple swamp. In the opinion of the speaker, it would 

 be an exceedingly expensive proposition tO' attempt tO' drain the 

 Little Timber swamp. It is an engineering problem of some mag- 

 nitude and the cost could only be estimated after a careful survey. 



Most of the 400 acres of marsh indicated in the vicinity of Rac- 

 coon Island is not dangerous from a mosquito standpoint. Much 

 of the foreshore marsh is flushed by the tide and the part if it lying 

 behind the island has been drained. The problem here is chiefly 

 one of ditch inspection and putting in some additional spur ditching. 



As is the case along all the Gloucester County creeks there are 

 ditches and small marshes behind the dikes at various places along 

 Raccoon Creek Which need attention from the mosquito extermina- 

 tor. Across the creek from Bridgeport there are 180 acres of 

 tussock and cattail which lack adequate drainage. More or less 

 continuous with this are about 95 acres more of maple and alder 

 swamp. 



Between the last mentioned marsh and Oldman's Creek are 260 



