The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1885-12-19
The TERMITES.
Usefulness OF the White Ant I'm Tropical
Countries,


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 desert; so that,
as Mr.. Smeathman says, mankind would
probably suffer less from the loss of one
or two of the larger animals than it
would from the determination of the
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;
but any stake in hedge which has not
taken root they at once destroy. If the
bark be sound they enter at the bottom,
and completely hollow it out; otherwise
they first cover it carefully with clay, as,
though blind, they will not work in the
light. 1t must be confessed they do not
distinguish as 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 spacious apartment in
a few nights, so carefully concealmg
their ravages, however, that their pres
ence could not be suspected
In single night in Japan they have
made tunnel as thick rs 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 a
house, and tunnel their way up through
the floors, and into the furniture, the pO-
sition of which they seem to know with
the utmost accuracy The only way to
prevent their ravages is to place the legs
of every chair and table in pans OF
water--a rcecaution which, of course,
is out of the question with door-posts,
etc., and thus it happens that all the
timber of a house may be perforated in
every direction, until nothing but thir
crust, no thicker than a sheet of paper
remains.
In some cases they seem to know
when a post has a 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 ava,
beneath his touch.
Neither wine-casks nor scientific in
struments are safe from them, and a
Tobago they once caused the loss of al
most pipe of Madeira wine. But the.
do not confine their attention to wood
An unfortunate engineer in Brazil whit
had just returned from an expedition
with a collection Of plans, etc, left hi
trunk on table for the night, AM
found next morning that all his clothe
and papers had been destroyed, not
square inch of the latter being left, Will
every atom Of pencil, lead and all, ha
entirely disappeared. Boots and shoe
they will devour in q single night, an
one wonders how the dwcllers in equ
noctial America contrive to keep a roc
over their heads or clothes on thei
backs; and it certainly is no marvel
learn that it was rare thing to fin
among the natives any papers NOR
than fifty or sixtyyears old In Humboldt
day.--From Selma Cages World
Lumber ROOnl.."