Proceedings of Eighth Annual Meeting 



II 



ends which had become scattered in twenty-six months that I did not 

 feel I could afford the time to come down to Atlantic City. I regret- 

 ted exceedingly not being here last year, the only time when I have 

 been within reach of Atlantic City that I have not come to these 

 meetings. 



In meeting you gentlemen here tonight I see most of the old faces 

 here, all of you looking younger, all of you looking more earnest in 

 the work. I miss one or two faces whom we have lost since the first 

 meeting of our association, and I am sure we all miss them. It is 

 unnecessary to mention names, but when a good man leaves the 

 game it is hard to fill his place, especially if he happens to be a pio- 

 neer. I refer especially to Mr. Delaney, of Hudson, whom we all 

 respected and whom we always felt had his heart and earnest endeav- 

 ors in the work, and who accomplished a great deal. 



Dr. Headlee asked me to read a paper tonight on the title which 

 appears in the program. I was very loath to take up any of your 

 time but inasmuch as I happened to have served as your President 

 for the two beginning years of this association, I suppose that was 

 the reason why he asked me to write this paper. The title is, "Review 

 of New Jersey's Anti-Mosquito Work and a Forecast of Its Future." 



Dr. Ralph Hunt : Perhaps it is as well to make this paper, so 

 far as the past is concerned, a one of personal narrative. I can 

 remember as a boy of always having a fondness for the outdoor life, 

 always loving the trees, flowers and birds and this love led to knowl- 

 edge as I became older. Biology soon had a charm for me and I 

 usually knew where the wild flowers grew, where the birds built 

 their nests, and where to find the different variety of trees. 



The control of public health and the abating of nuisances in gen- 

 eral, affecting the health and comfort of peoples, is, of course, a 

 part of my profession. 



These two factors, I suppose, directed my attention to the mos- 

 quito problem. It, perhaps, is well here to give a reason for attack- 

 ing the mosquito problem in New Jersey. 



The literature from early colonial time down to recent years is 

 filled with references calling attention to the baneful influence of the 

 mosquito. Not only has it rendered the lives of citizens intolerable 

 at certain seasons of the year, but it has hindered industrial develop- 

 ment and depreciated property values computed in millions. 



Thousands of acres of good arable land lie fallow because of the 

 presence of this pest. Many places, attractive otherwise for human 

 habitation or industrial purposes, are rendered uninhabitable. Men 



