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N. J. Mosquito Extermination Association 



We have had factories built on the edges of our marshes, particularly 

 the Raritan marsh, and acid waste thrown into the marsh. As long 

 as the acid waste is concentrated it is rather a help than a hindrance, 

 because the mosquito larvae cannot live in it. But after the factory 

 discontinues its work and the tide has washed in on it for a period 

 of five or six months the concentration of the acid is reduced to a 

 point that the larvae of the mosquito will breed but the fish will not 

 come in. We have had large areas of marsh, three to five hundred 

 acres, that were in that condition, and such areas have given us an 

 immense amount of trouble. 



We have determined experimentally that neutralizing such acid 

 water by the addition of lime made it agreeable to the fish. The 

 experimental results have not thus far been employed in a practical 

 fashion. The problem has been met by increasing the amount of 

 drainage and oiling, until the natural flow of the tide reduced the 

 acidity to a point where the fish would tolerate it. 



In the case of the upland work we have done very little, but we 

 have for several years offered expert over-sight, locally supported 

 campaigns, and every year we have several of those campaigns. 



I am much impressed with the statement made by Mr. LePrince 

 last night that what the people demand is a control of all species of 

 mosquitoes. For the last three years we have almost no trouble from 

 salt-marsh mosquitoes in the upper three-quarters of the County of 

 Middlesex, and last year, with all the difficult rainfall conditions we 

 had not a single important brood from any marshes of the county, 

 with the exception of a small one from that marsh which lies ad- 

 jacent to Union and is known as Carteret. New Brunswick during 

 the entire season has been almost entirely free from salt-marsh 

 mosquitoes, and it is only 2^ to 3 miles from the edge of a 2,000- 

 acre salt marsh. Yet we have remarkable numbers of mosquitoes in 

 some of our towns and cities. This year in August, we had very bad 

 mosquito conditions in New Brunswick, and people asked why with 

 a mosquito commission in the county the pest should be in evidence. 

 We were compelled to explain by word of mouth and through the 

 press that we could not prevent the appearance of the local mos- 

 quitoes, because we did not have money. The county did not give 

 us the money to attack that problem, sufficient money to suppress 

 both salt-marsh and fresh-water species and that the city fathers of 

 New Brunswick did not provide money for a locally supported cam- 

 paign. 



