99 



The author suggests that strong horses, which, if kept in a state of 

 absolute rest, are able to withstand the disease, should be allowed to 

 become infected in pastures ; artificial inoculation with virulent blood 

 is also recommended, especially in cases when infection in a natural 

 way is unavoidable. All the horses which have had the disease should 

 be grazed on the infected pastures, so as to maintain their immunity. 

 Trypan blue is considered the best remedy for the disease. 



Evans (F. D.). Thorough Drainage and the Prevention of Malaria. — 

 Agric. Bull. Fed. Malay States, Kuala Lumpur, ii, no. 8, March 

 1914, pp. 197-202. 



The author deals with the anti-malarial drainage of hill land with 

 subsoil pipe-drains, open earth-drains not being satisfactory under 

 hill conditions. The importance of careful laying of the pipes and 

 keeping them in order is emphasised. The experiments described 

 were carried out by the Malaria Advisory Board, F.M S., at Kuala 

 Lumpur, and striking results have been obtained, though swamps 

 are still existent. A table shows that the malarial death rate in 

 1913 was 4-2 per 1,000 against 9-9 in 1911, when the work was completed. 

 Calculations from other figures for 1911 show that every Indian at the 

 depot was in hospital or given sick leave for malaria on an average, 

 7 times in the year, and these were picked healthy Sikhs and Pathans. 

 The average monthly percentage of Indian recruits at the Police 

 Depot, Kuala Lumpur, detained in hospital or given sick leave for 

 malaria was 57-0 in 1911, 27-3 in 1912, and 11-3 in 1913, despite a 

 large increase in the population of the Depot subsequent to 1911, 

 when a considerable number of the men were unprotected by 

 mosquito nets at night. An increase in the density of a population 

 is invariably associated with a more rapid increase in the malaria 

 sickness rate. Mention is made of draining experiments about to be 

 made by the Government on Terentang Estate, Nigri Sembilan, of 

 which the results will be published periodically. 



The original cost of draining average hill land thoroughly should 

 not exceed $36 per acre of gross area drained. The cost of maintenance 

 for the first year is 10 per cent, of the original cost and 5 per cent, in 

 subsequent years. These are maximum normal figures, but undesir- 

 able saving on constructional expenditure will certainly increase 

 maintenance figures. The resulting greater efficiency of the labour 

 force is emphasised. 



Britton (W. E.). The Browntail Moth. — Connecticut Agric. Expt. 

 Sta., New Haven., Bull. 182, March 1914. 25 pp., 16 figs. 



In the course of this paper, mention is made of the rash caused on 

 the human skin by the hairs of this caterpillar. The long hairs seem 

 to be harmless and the trouble is due to the poisonous properties of the 

 short barbed hairs on the red dorsal tubercles and various other 

 parts of the caterpillar and the posterior extremity in the adult. 

 Dr. E. E. Tyzzer, of the Harvard Medical School (2nd Annual Report 

 of the Superintendent for Suppressing Gypsy and Brown Tail Moths, 

 p. 154, 1907), reports that he found a definite poisonous principle which 

 caused certain changes in the blood. The hairs are woven with the 

 cocoon and enter into the formation of the egg mass, so that either 



