INSTITUTE, PUSA, FOP 1917-18 107 



of termite against which protection is sought. Under 

 conditions at Pusa we have found that teak, sissoo (the red 

 heart- wood), and jarrah naturally resist termite (M. obesi) 

 attack without any treatment, and that, in the case of other 

 woods subject to attack, treatment, whatever be the reagent 

 used, in every case gives better results than no treatment. 

 Wood can be rendered immune by impregnating it with 

 (1) arsenicals or (2) creosote or wood-tar or some similar 

 liquid, and the wood will remain immune as long as the 

 arsenic is not dissolved out or as long as the smell of 

 creosote, etc., is present. In actual practice treatment of 

 wood with arsenicals is not easy without employment of a 

 pressure apparatus, as it is difficult to get sufficient arsenic 

 into the wood to preserve it for any length of time. Treat- 

 ment with creosote, etc., however, is quite simple, as the 

 desired results can be obtained by repeated paintings or 

 by dipping in the preservative those parts of the timber 

 which are to remain exposed to attack; although even in 

 these cases, the use of a pressure apparatus to increase the 

 amount of preservative taken up by the wood will consider- 

 ably prolong the period of protection. For the ordinary 

 person, however, who can only paint or dip woodwork likely 

 to be attacked by termites, the use of creosote will usually 

 give the best results, especially for underground woodwork. 



Lantana Work. This work was taken up in Novem- 

 ber, 1916, on instructions from Government and has for 

 its object the collection of information regarding the 

 occurrence within the Indian Empire of any insects which 

 may be utilized as efficient checks on the growth of 

 Lantana. With this object Mr. Y. Ramachandra Rao, 

 M.A., Entomological Assistant in Madras, has been placed 

 on special deputation under the Imperial Entomologist, 

 and during the year under Report worked in Southern 

 India, Burma and Assam. A very large number of insects 

 has been found to occur on Lantana but most of these 

 appear to be merely casuals, not confined to Lantana but 

 very polyphagous in their habits, or of no importance as 

 checks on Lantana, This investigation is still in progress. 



