4 



interest ini the question of mosquito extermination that has now: 

 gathered a miomentum, well nigh tidal in proportions . This little 

 group were men of vision. They believed in their vision and 

 had the courage to follow it even in, the face of ridicule and 

 unbelief and discouragement. As practical men they believed in 

 the practical achievement of ridding the State O'f the greatest 

 drawback to its advancement. Among the most loyal members 

 of this little band was Mr. Spencer Miller and others. To-day 

 we have a State-wide propaganda that commands the attention 

 of all thinking mien, that is attracting the interest of other States 

 and communities, not only in this country but abroad. It is a 

 happy fact that the State which was the most notorious in the 

 Union for moisquitoes is to-day the most advanced in their ex- 

 termination, and will be the first tO' be free from this pest. 



To Dr. John B. Smith, perhaps more than tO' any other man,, 

 do we owe the credit of bringing this question to our notice and 

 showing us by his experimentation that it could be done. To our 

 present able State Entomologist, Dr. Thomas J. Headlee, more 

 than to any other man, do' we owe the thorough organization of 

 our efforts and the carrying out of the work in a practical way: 



All the great movemients of history seem' to have had to 

 struggle into existence and fight their way up, and the develop- 

 ment of the question of mosquito^ extermination is nO' exception 

 to the rule. After discouragement and uphill work, recognition 

 was finally given the work by the passage of the law of 1906, 

 so that the experiments of Dr. Smith could be carried on and 

 his dream! fulfilled. It was not until 1912, however, that the 

 Legislature passed the present law which piut the whole ques- 

 tion on a working basis and awaited only the energy and live 

 interest of earnest men in various communities to test it out. 

 Nor has our legislative career been an entirely smooth one. 

 Each year has seen the advent of bills which threatened tO' emas- 

 culate if not entirely destroy the present act and so cripple the 

 work. Sometimes it has been, a hard matter tO' ^'keep in the 

 middle of the road." Year by year, however, the movement 

 has w^on its way tO' success and results have been achieved which 

 to the layman seemed at first impossible. 



