December, 1911. J 



5i7 



Live Stock, 



of action is more limited ; and the in- 

 crease in the capital value represented 

 by the livestock, by which the risk is 

 increased and becomes less easy for local 

 societies to support. 



In the article mentioned we find all 

 the insurance conditions of the Swedish 

 Societies and detailed notices of the 

 criteria the most important of them, the 

 " Scandinavian Livestock Insurance So- 

 ciety " adopts in calculating premiums 

 and settlement of claims. 



This society has published interesting 

 statistics of the mortality of the horses 

 insured ; for example, in the period 1891- 

 1910, the average death rate of insured 

 horses in Sweden was 2'38 per cent. 



The data are grouped according to 

 provinces, so as to show the influence of 

 the various conditions of race, climate 

 and agricultural labour. Thus, for ex- 

 ample, in the province of Scania, where 

 economic and meteorologic conditions 

 resemble those of Denmark, the percent- 

 age of deaths is far above the general 

 average for Sweden and nearly ap- 

 proaches that revealed by the Danish 

 Insurance Societies (3'02 per cent.) 



At the end of the article there is an 

 examination of some analogies between 

 human and animal mortality, made with 

 the aid of Danish and Swedish tables, 

 which has great interest' also from a 

 biological point of view, 



(Summarised from the Bulletin of Eco- 

 nomic and Social Intelligence, Year 11, 

 N. 8, August 31st, 1911, published by the 

 International Institute of Agriculture.) 



THE SCOURGE OF THE TROPICS. 



(Prom the Tropical Life, Vol. VII., No. 9, 

 September, 1911,) 

 The depredations of termites in the 

 Tropics and elsewhere are so widely 

 recognized and their habits and methods 

 of operation have been so closely 

 investigated, that little remains to be 

 said on these points. The question of 

 efficient protection, however, is an ever- 

 pressing problem in tropical countries, 

 and many more or less controversial 

 points appear to have arisen in this 

 direction. 



For the purpose of preserving wood 

 from the attacks of white ants, numer- 

 ous methods of treatment have been 

 tried, and the reports thereon collected 

 from independent sources appear to be 

 of very varying character. For instance, 

 we learn from an interesting article in 

 the Mindanao Herald (Philippine Isles), 

 for July 22nd last, that from certain 

 official tests, which are now in progress 



in Formosa, it is found that woods 

 treated with creosote are wholly free 

 from attack by white ants. On the 

 other hand, it has been long recognized, 

 we understand, by Indian railway 

 engineers, that creosote is of little or no 

 value for protecting sleepers from these 

 insects. Nor does there appear to be 

 any consensus of opinion on the woods 

 which are naturally immune from 

 attack, as in some quarters it is main- 

 tained that termites will attack teak- 

 wood, whereas in others the reverse is 

 reported. In searching for an effective 

 method of treatment, consideration 

 must be given as much to ease of trans- 

 portation and application as to efficiency, 

 particularly in those parts of the 

 Tropics where the resources of civiliz- 

 ation are not always available. Various 

 well-known methods of treatment which 

 may or may not give effective protec- 

 tion from termites are ill-adapted for 

 tropical use, because they necessitate 

 the transportation of the timber to 

 some point where a special plant is 

 available for carrying out the process. 



The above-mentioned article goes on 

 to emphasize the necessity of a special 

 processing, indicating, that mere paint- 

 ing or dipping only insures a surface 

 penetration. This, however, is a ques- 

 tion which must be governed largely by 

 circumstances. It is obvious that there 

 are many cases in the Tropics where 

 timber, whether for railway, building, 

 or fencing purposes, cannot be treated 

 with a process involving the use of 

 special plant ; and in such cases an 

 efficient preservative solution applied 

 with brushes or sprayers ensures much 

 longer service in comparison with the 

 life of untreated timber and amply 

 justifies the cost of material and labour 

 for the purpose. Where the circum- 

 stances allow of immersing the timber 

 in the solution, in an open bath, how- 

 ever rough and ready, a higher degree 

 of impregnation is of course obtained 

 with a corresponding advantage in the 

 life of the timber. Moreover, where 

 large quantities of timber are being 

 handled, the immersion method is 

 certainly quicker and more economical. 



The degree of impregnation to be 

 obtained with any preservative solution 

 is not so much dependent on the method 

 of application as on the character of 

 the wood and its condition at the time 

 of treatment. It is obvious that a length 

 of sapwood immersed in an open bath 

 would absorb a greater quantity of 

 solution than a similar length of heart- 

 wood cut from the same tree and treated 

 under pressure, even though the process 

 was earned so far as to injure the fibres. 



