68 



N. J. Mosquito Extermination Association 



tion the great sand bars running close to the shore-Hne, the difficulty 

 in placing a culvert deep enough to accomplish perfect drainage of 

 the low lands at the heads of the meadows, can readily be seen. 



During the past year the commission has dug 116,980 feet of 

 ditches. This amount is not as large as that dug in previous years, 

 because of the fact that the appropriation from the county was 

 greatly reduced and there is an ever-increasing amount of old ditches 

 to be cleaned each year. We feel that we have accomplished all that 

 could be expected under the conditions. 



In the past three years we have placed 1,208,922 feet of standard 

 ditches in the county, or about 229 miles of ditching. Cape May 

 County, although small in area, contains more marsh land than any 

 other county in the state — about 54,000 acres. At the present time 

 about one-third of this has been drained. 



With the money appropriated for 1920, we plan to put all our old 

 ditching systems in first-class working order before the mosquito- 

 breeding season and to install one or more tide-gates at the outlets 

 of the Bay Shore meadows. All money that is available after this 

 work has been done will be spent in placing new ditching, exclusively, 

 for the drainage of salt-marsh meadows. 



The Cape May County commission would suggest that the state 

 association appoint a committee to adopt a standard system of ac- 

 counting applicable to all counties so that a comparison of expendi- 

 tures could be made. Under the present system this is an impossi- 

 bility, since each county has its own method of charging off ex- 

 penses under different ledger headings. 



Work has been at a standstill during the severe winter weather 

 and because of lack of sufficient funds. No lecture work has been 

 done. Newspapers have been cared for by the assistant inspector. 



Considering that Cape May County is not well adapted to the use 

 of machine ditches the work accomplished would seem to be very 

 creditable and the cost low. Progress is necessarily slow, as labor 

 is not plentiful nor always efficient. Competition in this class is 

 practically nil, so of course high wages and short hours prevail. Even 

 under the best conditions the work can scarcely advance with any 

 degree of alacrity. Many unknown quantities which, no algebraic 

 solution can solve, enter into the situation, and "let x equal the 

 number required," still remains without an answer. 



After all the county is ditched, it will always remain, that ditches 

 must be annually cleaned, flood gates repaired, and the exits to the 



