Jasper County Democrat, Volume 22, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 5 April 1919 — White Ants in the Soudan Dispose of Dead Vegetation [ARTICLE]

White Ants in the Soudan Dispose of Dead Vegetation

In Soudan Notes and Records a plea is made on behalf of the white ant, which has naturally acquired a bad reputation among European residents. The characteristic feature of the climate of the Soudan" is the rapid growth of vegetation, promoted by seasonal rains or artificial Irrigation, followed by a period or drought and desiccation. The white ant attack* vegetation only when It Is weakened by drought or disease, and In that case the sooner It Is destroyed the better. But for the activity of the white ant the whole of the fertile parts of the Soudan would. In a very few years, be covered with an Impenetrable layer of dead vegetation; and the only alternative method to clear It off would be by the agency of fire, the dangers of which are obvious. — Nature.