The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1880-09-08
The Foe of The Indian Household.

Ihe roe OF the Indian Household.
Among the pests of household life in
India are the so.called white ants"
winged insects Of the same order as the
May-hy, dragon-hy and caddis-Hy. In
their search for food they are Wholesale
destructionists. II their depredations
were confined TO the fields and forests
IL would not be so bad, but they enter
the houses, and, in spite OF the best
precautions, work infinite mischief in q
short space OF time. They attack boots,
shoes, books, trunks, clothes ofall dcscrip-
tion, carpets, rugs. any furniture or
woodwork not made OF teak; in fact.
all vegetable fabrics and such animal
products as leather, wool, hair, etc.
Outside the house, studding the COM
pound surface, are the termite mounds.
Their subterranean channels are pushed
forth from these, ramifying just beneath
the surface, and in their progress the
creatures come in contact with the bun
galow walls; they pierce these walls and
the floor, and penetrate everywhere;
anon they find out In the window.
frames, or beams OF the roof, or boxes,
or furniture, or articles of apparel, some
thing to their taste, and the work Of
destruction begins. But the iurnitureis.
as arule, purposely made Of teak. which
they do not like, and the cemented floor
is coated with tar as protective, which
also they do not like. The boxes are all
placed on large pieces Of stone, which
they cannot penetrate, and moved some
distance from the wall; and so, by tax
ing up mats and carpets at night, FIRE.
quent brushings, hanging. all clothes on
teak frame-works, and elevating all
tempting things on granite supports, tho
11, s., h..- a.. l.,
foe; yet, even with constant care
and supervision, or through the care
lessness of Indian servants, the termite
generally comes Off the victor.
So much for the interior Of the house;
but the building itselfis fine field. II is
only in the newer bum ngalows that any at
tempt is made in erecting them TO cut
off the approach OF the white ants On
comparatively simple process suffices II
only properly carried ouD. The win
dow frames are pierced and eaten awaJ
until they and the shutters drop out;
the beams and rafters where they join
the walls are eaten through and through,
and replaced by mud cement; the sup.
ports are weakened, and with the weight
of falling water on the burst of the
monsoon the roof comes in, and woe be-
tide those who are underneath. Nothing
short of the most constant and unre.
mitting attention can foil the energy of
these insects; and in the tropics, white
human nature. under hot, enervating
climate, is not capable of it. You leave
much necessarily to your black domestic
help, and he is a fragile reed to rest
upon. Your CARPET or door mat is left
down; you find il fixed to the floor by
mud cement; you lift it up, and in so do
m W r.ap mo m
white ants have eaten away large piece.
Your child's flannel sleeping dress
(reeking with perspiration from nights
wear) is put out on a line to dry in the
sun; the ayah forgets all about il, it
has fallen To the ground; it is missed
and searched for; it is brought in with
piece removed as large as the hand
the white ant has found it decidedly to
its taste. You put your book upon
side table, and overlook the fact that it
is touching the wall; this the white ant
discovers, and shows that he has q very
capacious maw for all literature, light
or heavy. You accidentally leave your
sewing machine on the floor, and when
next wanting it you there find it; you
open it to disclose the fact that the
white ants have eaten through the bot
tom, have thrown a mud-cemented gall
lery over the steel, and are buslly en-
gagged on the cotton reel. Your air.
tight tin case has in travelling managed
to get hole or two in it; you send it
to the native workman for repair; he
returns with it, and on putting to him
the question as to its now being all
right, he assumes a facial expression
that disarms you; you pack your
woolen fabrics and choice articles in it
as safe places" you open it subse
quently to find them all matted together
with mud cement, white ants every
where, and large patches of your clothes
nowhere; these active creatures have
discovered a hole overlooked by the
workman, and have there entered to
produce heartrending havoc. Or again,
to improve the outside of your bunga-
low, you have transferred some gerani-
ums or other Towering plants from pots
to the ground; you notice that in spite
of well watering and sun sheltering they
do not recover themselves; you touch
one to find that its hold ON the soil is
but of the slightest; in fact, it comes
away with the gentlest pull, and with it
one or two white ants, thus revealing
the culprits that have eaten the stem
p1afalu fhron0l