Proceedings of Seventh Annual Meeting 



7 



It might be added, too, that before control measures were under- 

 taken, salt-marsh mosquitoes covered at times during the summer 

 more than one-half the entire area of the state, and afflicted more 

 than three-fourths of the population. 



There were thus two phases to the problem of mosquito control in 

 New Jersey : 



(1) The elimination of the breeding of salt-marsh species, 

 and 



(2) The elimination of the breeding of the fresh-water 

 species. 



The solution of the first of these two problems would obviously 

 give the greatest relief to the greater number of people. This in- 

 volved the trenching, at the rate of approximately 300 linear feet 

 of iox3o-inch ditches to the acre, of some 296,000 acres of salt 

 marsh. 



II. HISTORY OF MOSOUITO-CONTROL WORK IN NEW JERSEY 



The work of mosquito control in New Jersey had its real begin- 

 ning in 1901, when the late Dr. John B. Smith, entomologist of New 

 Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, took up the study of the 

 problem. The period from 1901 to 1904 was one of investigation 

 and experiment. The second year. Chapter 98 of the Laws of 1902 

 was enacted, charging the Experiment Station with the duty of 

 investigating the problem and authorizing the appropriation of $10,- 

 000 for that purpose. In that year the directed investigation began 

 with a fund of $1,000 contributed by Governor Franklin Murphy 

 from his emergency fund. In 1903 an appropriation under the 

 above chapter became available and the work went forward rapidly. 

 In 1904 the studies were continued and early in 1905 the results were 

 published. 



In 1905, under the terms of Chapter 80, Laws of 1905, provision 

 was made by means of which state aid could be extended to munici- 

 palities which were willing to contribute funds for drainage. In no 

 case, however, could a municipality obtain more than 25 per cent of 

 the cost from the state, and in no case could any one municipality 

 get more than $500.00. Although moneys were available under this 

 law in both 1905 and 1906, the city of Elizabeth alone availed 

 itself of the opportunity. Perhaps $1,000 was spent in this way. 



