and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society 



winebottles for the purpose, containing about 

 | liter, because these bottles had not to be tilled 



279 



so often as the small sort, which hold only £ liter. 

 The bottles are closed by a cork, which has been 

 pierced sufficiently to let a straw stalk pass. 

 The content of one bottle is sufficient for the 

 treatment of 15 to 20 shrubs. Before the real 

 disinfection began, the stems of the teaplants, 

 which had suffered from white ants, were freed 

 from these insects by means of a pointed piece 

 of wood, the covered corridors in the bark were 

 destroyed, and especially the holes made by 

 them and already quite full of earth were clean- 

 ed. Then the ground, about 4 inches from the 

 root and also the scars on the tainted wood were 

 very well wetted by the mixture. Constant 

 shaking of the bottle is necessary in order to 

 sprinkle as much as possible with water, contain- 

 ing the above-mentioned quantity of residue. On 

 several spots in the gardens small experiments 

 were made. Everywhere the results were the 

 same, to wit : On a held, used for the experi- 

 ment, there were 800 shrubs on the loth April. 

 Among these, 311 had suffered from white ants; 

 they were all treated in the way described and 

 marked by means of a stick. During the follow- 

 ing days the tainted plants as well as the healthy 

 shrubs were carefully examined,. Of course 

 there were always some of the latter that were 

 visited by ants, but it happened very seldom that 

 a treated plant suffered again from them. In 

 those cases, it was no doubt due to the ground 

 near the root not being sufficiently sprinkled 

 with oil. Indeed, it is very difficult to judge 

 whether the quantity of oil, poured out with the 

 water, is sufficient. Only afterwards, when the 

 water is evaporated, one can clearly see the 

 stains on the ground left there by the residual 

 oil. After a month, there were nearly one 

 hundred new plants attacked on the experiment 

 field, whilst oidy a dozen plants could be 

 counted, which, after having been treated, had 

 again suffered from the insects. This proportion 

 is striking. 



By and by, however, the disinfecting liquid 

 loses its power, either by evaporation, or the 

 washing away of the oil. So I came to the con- 

 clusion, that having treated the shrubs like this 

 one can protect one's plants for about one month. 

 Of course handy people are required for the 

 work, as, should the sprinkling be carelessly 

 effected, one cannot rely upon the results. It 

 seems to me, that women are most adapted for 

 the work, but still good superintendence is 

 essential. Very probably the oil poured over 



th root, the ground and the bark, does not 

 aflect the plant in the least. Even after having 

 treated a shrub very often for about a month, 

 I could not see the slightest alteration in its 

 appearance. Therefore it seems to me, that the 

 proportion of water and residue may safely be 

 taken somewhat larger. During the time, in 

 which the experiment was taken, there fell a 

 lot of rain (SOOmM), and only on 10 days it was 

 dry. So far as regards the experiment; but I 

 would like to make some statements in connec- 

 tion with this question. They say that in the 

 dry season the termites are more active in their 

 work of destruction above the ground. In that 

 time, the oil is less likely to be washed away, so 

 the results are perhaps better then, though the 

 evaporation may make chances equal again. I 

 often heard people declare that ants only 

 attack those trees, as are already ill or in a weak 

 or abnormal condition. I cannot contradict 

 this theory, because I do not know enough 

 about termites, and was not able to read any- 

 thing on the subject. Still my experience coin- 

 pels me to have a different opinion, as I have 

 often seen ants attack perfectly strong trees and 

 shrubs, but it is true that the holes, scars and 

 corridors of already attacked plants are very 

 welcome to them, as these places help them to 

 complete their work of destruction. Anyhow, 

 I believe that the discoverer of a not too costly 

 means for the extermination or driving away of 

 white ants will be a benefactor to the tea plant- 

 ation-owners on low grounds, and I have deem- 

 ed it necessary that modesty, originating from 

 my short experience, ought not to keep me from 

 publishing this article in a perodical, which 

 appeared to me to be most suitable for the 

 purpose. 



P. HOLTEN. 



THE FERTELIZATION OF LAND. 



In TJie Daily Arr/osy of Tuesday, Mr. C. 

 Ross, of Gold Mines, Essequebo, writes : — 



As any natural means of fertilizing the land 

 must bo of much interest to those engaged in 

 the cultivation of the soil, I will with your 

 permission refer to a plant which attracted my 

 notice in 1896, when I was the manager of 

 Plantation " Success, 1 ' Leguan. 



I observed that the growth of the canes on the 

 field, number twenty-four in the " White Swan '' 

 section of that estate, were much in advance of 

 those on the other fields in the same section 

 and plar.ted at the same time, the difference 

 being so remarkable that I decided to try and 



