Diseases 221 



and obscure. This is also a borer and attacks 

 principally the young palms and those which 

 are weakened through some cause, especially 

 those which have already had the attentions 

 of the rhinoceros beetle. 



The Rkynchophorus is also fond of attacking 

 cracks in a tree, or a wound left by the pre- 

 mature tearing off of a leaf from the trunk, 

 so that needless damage in this way must be 

 avoided. 



A tree which is badly attacked by these 

 beetles should also be cut down and burnt, for 

 it is impossible to get at the root of the 

 damage, and it is only a question of time 

 before the attacked tree dies in any case. 



In newly-opened ground especially, white 

 ants often become a source of serious annoy- 

 ance and trouble, as when these pests are 

 present in large numbers the destruction and 

 burning of all the natural vegetation deprives 

 them of their usual food supplies and causes 

 them to turn to the new cultivations. They 

 are very fond of the juice as well as the germs 

 of the nuts, and will bore through the shell to 

 get at them. This sometimes destroys' the 

 young plants in thousands, so that arsenic 

 solutions and smoking- out of the nests must 



O 



be resorted to, to rid the estate of them. 



A sure preventive for keeping them away 

 is to allow no rubbish or decaying wood about 

 the place, whilst constant hoeing and weeding 

 will also help to rid the place of them. 



