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only troubles they feared — namely, white ants and Fomes, were 
eradicated, there would be less subsequent expenditure in pest work, 
supervision would be more efficient, weeding costs less, and all work 
carried out in the clearing would be cheaper. 
Towgood, then, advocated clean clearing old rubber, destroying 
trees which contain Termes gestroi in young rubber, and selective 
burning in future opening. The first was sound. The others were 
dangerously incomplete even against Termes gestroi alone, not to 
mention Fomes and the later discovered root diseases, Sph&rdstilbe, 
Ustulina, and Poria, because any remaining suitable timber in the 
young rubber might later become infected by Termes gestroi , and 
in the new clearings there is a much greater variety of potential 
gestroi timbers than Towgood suspected. A letter from Joliore in 
December, 1909, lists a fui'ther 19 timbers harbouring Termes 
gestroi, Terentang heading the list w r ith over a hundred nests 
in 40 acres, but the other 18 equally capable of serving as a 
nidus for Termes gestroi , if the favourite timber is absent. The only 
sure guarantee against Termes gestroi attack is to remove, not only 
every certain, but ever.y possible nesting site. Nevertheless, Towgood 
was on the right track, and had his advice been followed, improve- 
ments in details would have developed. 
But. just now the sulphur arsenic fmnigator was being boomed 
as a cheap and effective method of treatment. Everybody was 
wanting a remedy easy of application, certain of result. A prize of 
£5,000 was offered to the inventor of such. It was not awarded, 
but public attention was focussed on patent methods, and the 
universal exterminator was certainly the best of these. And so, 
unfortunately for those estates now suffering from the many ills bred 
of rotting timber, clean clearing was set back a further six years. 
In October, 1908, Pratt was .transferred from the Medical to the 
Agricultural Department, and devoted some time to the continuation 
of his white ant work. You are all familiar with the results as 
published in Bulletins, Nos. 1 and 3, of the Department of Agricul- 
ture. The first was largely a revision of the report previously 
considered. Bulletin No. 3, which deals mainly with treatment, is too 
long for me to discuss in detail. 
In blocks in which the jungle had been felled less than six 
years, Pratt advocated isolating attacked areas by a four-foot drain, 
digging over the soil to a depth of three feet, and burning all the 
logs and stumps containing Termes gestroi. . He did not recommend 
destroying all logs and stumps but said that the proportion which 
needed removal was comparatively small. As an alternative method, 
equally effective and cheaper, to be used whenever possible, he 
strongly recommended fumigation with sulphur-arsenic fumes. The 
nest having been located, presumably by inspection, a trench was to 
be cut round it, left open for a few days to allow impair of the 
