46 



of Mr. Walden's, I cannot help but feel that though I know I am 

 in the right church, I am really in the wrong pew. 



.Status of Mosquito Control Work in Berg^en County, 



BY E. B. WAI.DEN, MEMBER OE THE BERGEiN COUNTY MOSQUITO 

 EXTERMINATION COMMISSION. 



The summier of 191 6 will be the third season of active county- 

 wide mosquitO' control work in Bergen County. In 191 5 we had 

 an appropriation of $14,000 from, the county supplemented by 

 $7,000 from the State. Last season we had $i8,oooi fromi the 

 county, but no State aid. This year we ha,ve asked for and been 

 granted $20',ooO' with which to conduct the work. D'uring the 

 past two seasons we have placed 125 miles of 10 x 30-inch 

 ditching on our 8,0001 acres of salt marsh ; have protected a very 

 bad sunken meadow by a heavy dike 6,2001 feet in length, and 

 have installed tide-gates and sluices in Kingsland Creek and in 

 Moonachie Creek. The action of these gates enables uis to con- 

 trol several hundred aicres which were previously very bad 

 breeding spots. The system adopted proved very successful last 

 summer and the percentage of salt-marsh mosquitoes which 

 emerged was comparatively slight. We reahze, however, that 

 we have still miuch to do on the salt marsh, and are only await- 

 ing the coniiing spring to carry into effect measures which have 

 been planned for the further development of our present system. 



On the upland we have continued to promote our proposed 

 scheme of drainage wherever pO'Ssible. We had a great deal of 

 trouble with sylvestris last summer, but it is our piurpose to 

 carry on as extensive drainage operations this spring as our 

 funds will allow. This fresh-water swamp problem is a very 

 vital one in our county. I think it is safe to say that Bergen 

 County has more pools and swamps on its upland than any other 

 county in the State now at work. To control these spots with 

 oil in wet weather is almost an impossibility, so that we are 

 overlooking no opportunities to drain them. In this work of 

 upland drainage WiC have been materially aided by co-operation 

 on the part of private property owners and different munici- 



