Plrtnt Sanitation. 



332 



[April, 1910. 



Queen has perished with the rest ot the 

 individuals. Usually it is only necessary 

 to trace up the runs iu the case of a nest 

 occurring in a buried stump or root. 



The first field I systematically cleared 

 of all timber five months ago has since 

 shown no sign of the pest. This field 

 was planted with Rambong about six 

 years ago, it was allowed to lapse into 

 bluker and was interplanted with para 

 in 1906, The only remaining timber was 

 Kumpas, of which there was a consider- 

 able quantity, The attack on both Para 

 and Rambong trees wa<* particularly 

 virulent in this block but has now 

 entirely ceased. 



As Mr. Pratt very truly says, owing to 

 the cryptic habits of termites, it is very 

 difficult to determine when a tree is 

 attacked until it falls down, but during 

 the wet seasons in October, November, 

 December, and January the termites 

 frequently make their appearance above 

 ground, and this fact, 1 think, should be 

 taken advantage of, by marking in some 

 way all the trees on which the termites 

 make their appearance, for even if they 

 cannot be attended to at once, one would 

 at least know where to look for them in 

 the future. 



I am afraid that some planters are 

 lulled into a sense of security by the fact 

 that none ot their young trees have been 

 attacked ; it would be well worth their 

 while to make a search for T. Gestroi in 

 the timber lying in clearings, and if 

 found, take steps to eradicate the pest, 

 for although trees may not be attacked 

 now, or perhaps for a year or two to 

 come, they will be attacked sooner or 

 later if T. Gestroi is present. 



I have not found a singletree attacked 

 so far in my forest clearings, but I know 

 that T. Gestroi is present. On the other 

 hand in reclaimed land, where owing to 

 the decay of most of the timber, T. Gestroi 

 has wandered forth in search of fresh 

 fields and pasture new, and has made its 

 presence evident by attacking young 

 rubber trees. 



On Future Clearings.— In these again 

 the importance of discovering the forest 

 trees most favoured by T. Gestroi is 

 evident. I cannot speak from practical 

 experience, but the obvious course to 

 pursue would be to cut down all trees 

 known to harbour T. Gestroi, and allow 

 them to dry for as long a period as 

 possible, prior to the Felling of the land. 

 Many of these trees would be then 

 destroyed in the burn, and tnose which 

 remained could be burnt out by piling 

 over them the surrounding timber. 

 This would of comse enhance the cost of 



clearing perhaps by $1C or even $20 per 

 acre, a small consideration in comparison 

 to the damage that may be effected by 

 T. Gestroi. 



Further advantages of more thorough 

 clearing would be less likelihood of 

 vacancies caused by Fomes semitostus 

 and a saving in the cost of weeding, in 

 fact of every other work carried cn in 

 the clearing, together with easier and 

 consequently more efficient a super- 

 vision. 



Cost of Eradication by Destruction 

 of Timber containing Tebmitaria. 

 It is obviously impossible to give even 

 approximate figures with regard to cost ; 

 this depends entirely on the quantity of 

 timber to be removed. One ten acre 

 block may contain a dozen large Kumpas 

 and Meranti trees, and the adjoining 

 fifty acres may contain only half a 

 dozen. The cost may vary from $2 to 

 $20 per acre, and it will be necessary to 

 estimate for each ten or twenty acre 

 block separately. 



In opening new clearings it is false 

 economy to cut down expenditure on 

 clearing, and it will obviously be far 

 cheaper to eradicate T. Gestroi in clear- 

 ings before they are planted, than after- 

 wards, to say nothing of the saving in 

 the cost of other works and the satis- 

 faction of knowing that the only two 

 pests which we have to fear have been 

 eradicated. 



T. Gestroi is frequently found in 

 nibong palms, but owing to the facility 

 with which these can be split up and the 

 many uses they can be put to they do 

 not cause any serious trouble or expense. 



Drains as affecting Termes Gestroi. — I 

 have not in a single instance found the 

 runs of termites crossing a subsoil drain, 

 excepting by means of a fallen log or 

 wooden bridge ; it follows, therefore, that 

 the more frequent the drains, the more 

 circumscribed will be the attack of the 

 termites, provided that iron or concrete 

 bridges are used instead of wooden ones, 

 and that all timber lying across drains 

 be removed. 



The mound termites, T. Malayanus, 

 and T. carbonarius seem to prefer the 

 edge of a drain for the construction of 

 their termitaria, but Gestroi apparently 

 considers the suitability of timber only 

 and not that of soil in choosing its home. 



When nearing a drain the T. Gestroi 

 runs are usually found at a greater depth 

 than elsewhere ; this is no doubt due to 

 the facility with which the termites are 

 able to penetrate the soil which has 

 become freer owing to good drainage. 



