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only troubles they feared — namely, white ants and Fomes, were 

 eradicated, there would be less subsequent expenditure in pest work, 

 supervision woald be more efficient, weeding costs less, and all work 

 carried out in the clearing would be cheaper. 



Towgood, then, advocated clean clearing old rubber, destroying 

 trees which contain Termes gestroi in young rubber, and selective 

 burning in future opening. The first was sound. The others were 

 dangerously incomplete even against Termes gestroi alone, not to 

 mention Fomes and the later discovered root diseases, Sphserostilhe, 

 Ustullna, and Porta, because any remaining suitable timber in the 

 young rubber might later become infected by Termes gestroi, and 

 in the new clearings there is a much greater variety of potential 

 gestroi timbers than Towgood suspected. A letter from Johore in 

 December, 1909, lists a further 19 timbers harboui-ing Termes 

 gestroi, Terentang heading the list with over a hundred nests 

 in 40 acres, but the other 18 equally capable of serving as a 

 nidus for Termes gestroi, if the favourite timber is absent. The only 

 sure guarantee against Termes gestroi attack is to remove, not only 

 every certain, but every possible nesting site. Nevertheless, Towgood 

 was on the right track, and had his advice been followed, improve- 

 ments in details would have developed. 



But just now the sulphur arsenic fumigator was being boomed 

 as a cheap and effective method of treatment. Everybody was 

 wanting a remedy easy of application, certain of result. A prize of 

 £5,000 was offei'ed to the inventor of such. It was not awarded, 

 but public attention was focussed on patent methods, and the 

 universal exterminator was certainly the best of these. And so, 

 unfortunately for those estates now suffering from the many ills bred 

 of rotting timber, clean clearing was set back a further six years. 



In October, 1908, Pratt was transferred from the Medical to the 

 Agricultural Department, and devoted some time to the continuation 

 of his white ant work. You are all familiar with the results as 

 published in Bulletins, Nos, 1 and 3, of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture. The first was largely a revision of the report previously 

 considered. Bulletin No. 3, which deals mainly with treatment, is too 

 long for me to discuss in detail. 



In blocks in which the jungle had been felled less than six 

 years, Pratt advocated isolating attacked areas by a four-foot drain, 

 digging over the soil to a depth of three feet, and burning all the 

 logs and stumps containing Termes gestroi. He did not recommend 

 destroying all logs and stumps but said that the proportion which 

 needed removal was compai'atively small. As an alternative method, 

 equally effective and cheaper, to be used wlienever possible, he 

 strongly recommended fumigation with sulphur-arsenic fumes. The 

 nest having been located, presumably by inspection, a trench was to 

 be cut round it, left open for a few days to allow repair of the 



