KEPOKT OF THE ENTOMOLOGICAL SECTION 14] 



some blue Ki'™. boekenliout, and lemon wood (Xijmalo.i mono^pora) wei'e employed ; all 

 of whieh woods are readil>' eaten ijy wliite ants. In selecting the material witli which 

 to treat the woods, we tried to test such substances as the farmer would have at lumd 

 or could easily obtain, also giving attention to patent mixtures, for sale on the South 

 African Market, which are recommended for this purpose. 



"The methods for treating the wood were four in number, i.e. (1) soaking in the 

 mixture for 24 hours ; (2) soaking for 24 hours and then bringing to the boiling point over a 

 fire, and boiling for from one to two hours ; (3) painting the surface with one or two coats of 

 the mixture ; (4) boring a hole J inch in diameter down the middle, filling this with the 

 liquid or dry chemicals and plugging up the opening, leaving the chemical to soak through 

 the wood. A certain number of pieces of deal and blue gum were left untreated, to act as a 

 check on the experiment. 



'■ When the pieces of wood were all ready they were thoroughly mixed up, so that any 

 two i)ieces that had been similarly treated should not be together, and were then planted in 

 the soil about 12 feeJt apart each way, with the upper ends above the surface. Care 

 was taken to choose a place to bury the wood where termites were very abundant. For 

 this purpose Mr. E. F. Bourke, of Pretoria, kindly allowed us to make use of his farm 

 Kalkheuvel, near Pienaar's Eiver Station, District of Pretoria. Parts of this farm are 

 badly infested with white ants, and the worst parts were employed for this experiment. 

 The wood was buried on March 27 and April 15, 1906. ' The first examination was 

 made on June 4, 1907, the second examination was made on August 21, 1908, and the 

 third examination took place on July 15, 1909. 



"Termites were present on the day of examination on or near the pieces of wood. 



"Arsenical compounds. — -It was found that mostly all the pieces of wood treated 

 with the arsenical compound were still untouched, and it is very plain that these arsenical 

 mixtures are very effective. The following table will show this: — Greatefficiency 



Arsenite of soda, 10 per cent. : All wood treated not eaten at third examination. preparations 



Atlas Preservative, full strength: All wood treated not eaten at third examination. against White 



Atlas Preservative, 10 per cent. : All wood treated not eaten at third examination. 



Demuth's Dip, 10 per cent. : All wood treated not eaten at third examination. 



Cooper's Dip, 1 pint to 9 gallons water : All wood treated not eaten at third 

 examination. 



Alderson's Cattle Dip, 4 lb. to 8 gallons water: All wood treated not eaten at 

 third examination. 



Street's White Ant Cure was not effective ; all those pieces of wood which had been 

 treated with this compound were eaten. 



" Tar and creoKote compound. — -Of all the pieces of wood treated with any of the 

 tar compounds only two pieces, painted twice with coal-tar, withstood the ravages 

 of the termites for three years ; all those treated with Stockholm tar, creosote, carbolic 

 acid, Jeyes' fluid, carbolineum, solignum, asphanite, etc., were more or less attacked 

 and eaten. 



" Tobacco extracts'. — At the third examination all the pieces of wood treated with 

 these extracts were found to have been eaten. 



" OiU and paints. — These pieces were also destroyed, with the exception of two pieces 

 of deal painted with raw^ linseed oil, white lead and arsenic mixed ; two pieces of deal 

 painted with raw linseed oil, red lead, and arsenite of soda mixed ; two pieces of lemonwood 

 painted with raw linseed oil, red lead, and arsenic mixed. 



'■ Transvaal Agricultural Journal, No. 29, 1909, p. 86 



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