The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1885-12-18
THE TERMlTEs.
Usefalness Of the White Ant In, Tropical
Countries.


Usefalnsss Of the white Ant In, Tropical
Countries.
But for the termites there would not
be forest left in the world, for the dead
would choke the living, then the absence
of foliage would SO alter the climate
that droughts would ensue, and the land
would be turned into a desert; so that,
as Mr.. Smeathman says, mankind would
probably suffer less from the loss of ono
or two Of the larger animals than il
would from the determination of tho
termites. They seldom attack healthy
tree, and probably when they appear to
do SO it will be found that disease Of
some sort has really begun its inroads;
hut any stake in a hedge which has not
taken root they at once destroy. Ii the
bark be sound they enter at the bottom,
and completely hollow it out; otherwise
they first cover it carefully with clay, ~.
though blind. they will not work i'm the
light. 1t must be confessed they do not
distinguish rs one could wish between
wood that is useful and wood that is use
less to man; dead wood is never any
thing but dead wood to them. and thus
they have been known to destroy all the
timber-wOrk Of a spacious apartment in
few nights. SO carefully concealing
their ravages, however. that their pres
ence could not DC suspected.
In single night in Japan they have
made tunnel as thick rs a mans little
finger through the floor, up one leg OF
table, across the top, and down an
other leg.
Some large species begin work sew
eral feet below the foundations of q
house. and tunnel their way M through
the floors, and into the furniture, the l,O-
sition Of which they seem to know with
the utmost accuracy. The only way to
prevent their ravages is tOplace the legs
of every chair and table in pans of
watcr-a precaution which, of course,
is out of the question with door-posts,
etc., and thus it happens that all the
every direction, until nothing but thin
crust. no thicker than sheet of paper,
remains.
In some cases they seem to know
when Il post has weight TO support.
and are careful to fill it up with clay;
but where the woodwork is not used as
a prop, they see no need for such pre-
cautions, and the owner who is thus
literally Gated out of his house and home
may be first made aware of the fact by
finding his windOw-sills crumbling away
beneath his touch.
Neither wine-casks nor scientific in-
struments are safe from them, and at
TObagO they once caused the loss OF al
most pipe of Madeira wine. But they
do not eOniine their attention to wood.
An unfortunate engineer in Brazil who
had Just returned from an expedition
with collection of plans. ETC.. left his
trunk on a table for the night. and
found next morning that all his clothes
and papers had been destroyed. not Il
square inch of the latter being left. while
every atom of pencil, lead and all, had
entirely disappeared. Boots and shoes
they will deyour in a single night. and
one wonders how the dwellcrs in equi-
noctial America cOntrive to keep roOi
over their heads or clothes on their
backs; and it certainly is no marvel tc
learn that IL was rare thing to find
among the natives any papers more
than fifty or sixtyycars old in Humboldt's
day.-From Selma Gaye's "World's
Lumber Room"