180 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



ANOTHER WHITE ANT ON NEW 

 RUBBER CLEARINGS. 



Important Note by Mb. Lewton Brain. 



Some cases have recently been brought to the 

 notice of the Department of Agriculture, E.M.S., 

 Kuala Lumpur, in which Termes carbonarius 

 has been found killing newly planted stumps by 

 stripping them of their bark. 



Up to the present this has only been noticed 

 on old tapioca estates. 



These termites were previously considered 

 harmless and it is important to find out as soon 

 as possible how far their ravages have been 

 noticed elsewhere. 



Termes carbonarius may be distinguished 

 from other " White Ants'' or Termites, as they 

 aro more correctly called, by the large size and 

 sooty colouring of the soldiers. 



The soldiers of this species are of two kinds; 

 the larger over haif-au-inch long including the 

 mauciibles or nippers, which can inflict an un- 

 pleasant bite; the smaller, about g of an inch. 



The mandibles are curved upwards to the tips 

 and do not possess teeth between the base and 

 the tip. 



The queen is as large as that of Termes Malay- 

 anus, attaining a length of one-and-three-quarter 

 inches. These termites are otten found in the 

 same nest as Termes sulphureus, the little sul- 

 phur yellow species, which lives in hard cased 

 mounds sometimes rive feet high. The queen of 

 T. sulphureus average only one-and-a-quarter- 

 inch in length. 



Termes sulphureus and carbonarius are both 

 described in books as harmless being iungus (or 

 " mould ' ) eaters. The fungus grows on cakes 

 or masses of vegetable matter which are stored 

 in special chambers in the nest. 



Up to now analyses of these masses have 

 failed to show any traces of rubber, but further 

 samples are wanted for analysis with notes of 

 the depth at which they are found, as those ex- 

 amined may only have been collected by Termes 

 sulphureus. 



If Termes carbonarius makes a separate nest, 

 it has not yet been described. 



The stumps aie reported to be attacked at 

 night and in the early morning after and during 

 rainy weather, 



This would be a dangerous pest to young 

 estates, but for the fact that the nest of Termes 

 sulphureus, which it inhabit.', is easily found 

 on well weeded estates and the inmates, both. 

 sulphureus and carbonarius, can he easily killed 

 with the fumes of arsenic and sulphur applied 

 through the nozzle of the Jniversal White Ant 

 Exterminator. 



Or carbon bisulphide may be poured on to a 

 large piece of cotton wool placed in one of the 

 upper chambers of the nest and the hole above 

 stopped with clay. The vapour of carbon bis- 

 ulphioe buing heavy and very poisonous, sinks 

 along the passages, killing %V insects with 

 which it comes in contact, 



A third improved methcd would be to find 

 and destroy the queen and then poison the rest 

 ol the inmates ot the nest. 



Specimens of the various forms of this Ter- 

 mite, preserved in spirit, and the queen cham- 

 ber in the nest, as well as information about the 

 nesting habits, distribution and damage caused, 

 will be most welcome if addressed to : — 



The Director of Agriculture, F.M.S., 



Kuala Lumpur, 

 — Orenier's Rubber News, July 8. Selangor. 



TEA IN NYASA LAND. 



Mr. Grenenger, a tea and tobacco planter of 

 Nyasaland, has favoured us with a call. He 

 gave a very interesting account of the work 

 that is being done in that distant and seclu- 

 ded part of the Empire. At present there 

 are only two small gardens in bearing under 

 tea, with acreage of under 600 acres some 200 

 acres of which is 5 year old. The last year's ex- 

 port to London amounted to 35 tons only. 

 Eight other gardens are opening up, and the 

 total acreage will ultimately be 50,000. It 

 cannot be increased owing to the severely 

 localised rainfall. Knowledge of the cultivation 

 and manufacture of Tea, however, is very 

 scant} - and to get some idea ot the methods 

 employed heie is Mr. Grenenger's aim in visit- 

 ing Ceylon. They have, as yet, no pests among 

 their tea, though thrips is in their coffee. Their 

 maiu products, apart from mealies, are coffee 

 and tobacco, of a very good kind, all well sold 

 to London — Is. 6d. a lb. ruling price. The refuse 

 is made into cigarettes locally. 



PLANT-FOOD AND ITS PRESER- 

 VATION. 



Attention is invited to the following interest- 

 ing and valuable article on farm-yard manure, 

 and its preservation, issued by the Madras 

 Agricultural Department as a leaflet. The infor- 

 mation given will be found of particular 

 value to tanners atid planters in Ceylon, where, 

 so far at least as indigenous cultivation is con- 

 cerned, there is a great waste of valuable 

 plant-food rtadily available, lu Ceylon too, as 

 in South India, the soils are thin, lacking a 

 just proportion of organic matter, with the 

 result that it is difficult to maintain properly 

 the fertility of the soil, unless the lacking ingre- 

 dient be supplied periodically in addition to the 

 usual plant foods. Of the "bulky organic 

 manures'' necessary, farm yard manure is the 

 first and best, as well as the most commonly 

 available. Even better than farm yard manure 

 is indigo refuse— seeth— which will become more 

 commonly available in the near future, but 

 which is not now to be had. Even then there 

 will be nothing so generally available as farm 

 yard manure for fattening our thin soils. Every 

 farm, every village, will have abundance, it 

 the cattle byres are properly managed, and the 

 golden dirt preserved as it ought to be, iu 

 box and pit, instead of being wasted or, at most 

 just heaped up, and half its value lost. How 

 the best virtues ot this manure can be preserved 

 is shown clearly in the extract which we recom- 

 mend to our readers. 



