November, 1912.] 



399 



If the wound is an incised one, i.e., clean cut, after cleaning and 

 disinfecting it should be stitched with aceptic silk, cat-gut, horse-hair 

 or silk, and either bandaged with a piece of lint and bandage, or if in an 

 awkward place to bandage.dressed liberally with an ointment such as Jeye's 

 Fluid 1 part, Lard or Vaseline 20 parts, or Stockholm Tar in order to keep 

 the flies off. 



Should the wound be a lacerated one, full of sand and grit which can- 

 not be entirely removed, two courses of treatment are open depending on 

 the size, situation and nature of it. If the wound is very extensive and 

 the muscles are badly torn it is advisable to stitch the severed skin in 

 accurate apposition as far as possible, leaving an aperture at the lower 

 end of the wound to allow of drainage and the daily washing out of the 

 wound with disinfectants. Should the direction of the wound be down- 

 wards and inwards a counter opening will have to be made to allow drain- 

 age from the depths of the wound. In this drainage channel a piece of 

 rubber tubing or a strip of gauze should be inserted after each dressing to 

 keep the orifice of the drainage chanuel open. 



ROOT DISEASE IN HEVEA. 



The Editor of the " Tropical Agriculturist" 



Dear Sir,— The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist for Octo- 

 ber contains a letter from ''Bode," (leprinted from " Grenier's Rubber 

 News"), dealing with the prevention of the root disease of Hevea caused 

 by Fomes semitostus, the text of which is an alleged quotation from my 

 book on " The Physiology and Diseases of Hevea." — " It is impossible to 

 get rid of Fomes semitostus if the stumps which bear the fungus are not 

 removed: neglect of that operation is the chief source of danger." 

 "Bode" apparently disagrees with that. 



The sentence in question is taken from a paragraph which des- 

 cribes the treatment of aw existing case of disease, where several He yea 

 trees have died round a jungle stump which is known to have been 

 the original host of the fungus, and probably is then producing the 

 fructifications. Surely, in such a case, where the stump has been proved 

 to bear the fungus, " Bode " would not hesitate to remove that particular 

 stump. 



I may further point out that "Bode" adapts his text to fit his theme. 

 It should read " neglect of that operation is the chief source of failure," 

 i.e., failure to eradicate the disease from a particular spot where it has 

 already made its presence known. 



T. PETCH. 



Pebadeniya, November 13, 1912. 



RAT POISONS. 



The Journal oj the Jamaica Agricultural Society for September, 1912, 

 says that the least successful poison for rats is Arsenic. One of the 

 cheapest, best aud safest is Plaster ot Paris, not a poison in the ordinary 

 term but mixed with cornmeal or oatmeal most effective in rotation with 

 Barium Carbonate. Excermino, a patent rat killer, has been usually success- 

 ful here. We have always, remarks the Journal, laid stress on variation 

 of poisons and variation of traps ; aud the use of bamboo pots for safety 

 against stock taking the poisons. 



