41 



Mr. Dt:IvANe;y — I do^ not think that I have any particular 

 addition to make to what I said in the paper, but Mr. Slater, here 

 from Hudson County, calls my attention tO' a matter which refers 

 to Dr. Headlee's remarks about choosing your men. We are 

 particularly handicapped in some counties, including our own, in 

 choosing laborers, through the rules of the civil service. It sim- 

 ply gives a list of men and we must take them. If we send them 

 back they do not approve of it at all. They send us the same 

 class of men. It is always difficult to get good work out of such 

 a class of men. If we had the privilege of choosing our own 

 laborers we could accomplish very much more with the same 

 amount of help. 



As far as the advantages are concerned in the maintenance 

 of them, I agree with Dr. Headlee that if a ditch is properly 

 made, with tidewater outlets, even if they do close at the top, 

 there is very little trouble so far as we are concerned. Our 

 diches in the salt hay meadows, as I told you in the paper, made 

 six or seven years ago, are practically as clear and as good 

 to-day as they were when they were made, and they have had no 

 attention whatever except the occasional removal of the stoppage, 

 - and that does not amount to anything. 



Pre^Sident D^arnai^i, — Mr. Dobbins, please close your dis- 

 cussion. 



Mr. Dobbins — I think that I have nothing further to say. 



Mr. RkiIvIvY — Regarding the growth of grass in the hole after 

 it has been drained, I want to say that in holes which are shallow, 

 grass will grow. There is no doubt that as the grass gets deeper 

 root the banks of the ditch through the salt hole will hold up. 



A D'E:i.e:gate^ — May I ask a question? Hasn't it been foursd 

 from experience that a great many of the mosquitoes are from 

 stagnant rain water? Do not the majority of them come from 

 rainwater that has been allowed to stand stagnant in the ditches ? 



PrESide^nt Darnai.Iv— Mr. Van Note perhaps can answer 

 your question as he closes his discussion. 



