Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-08-26

The st. Louis Democrat says: "The
rates of rail freights now in force be-
tween this city and Eastern seabOard
points are so discriminating against the
St. Louis corn trade, when compared
with the rates made from Chicago, that
our corn trade eastward has come to a
sudden s~tand-still. Here sthe comDar-
ison: By rail-Chicago to Boston, q
cents per bushel; East St. Louis to Bos-
ton, 1874 cents per busheL. Difference
l0.4 cents per bushel. Chicago to New
York, 90 cents per bushel; East st. Louis
TO New York, BOT cents. Difference l0f
cents per bushel. Now, observe how
this works. The Chicago market is IA,
; cents per bushel higher than the st.
Louis market. No. l corn in bulk is
worth A cents in Chicago, and 3S here
on East track, or about that. Receipts
will therefore flow to Chicago, because
Of this higher range Of prices, and as
the rate of freight is 10 cents lower than
from st. Louis, of cOurse all the orders
for grain formerly sent here viii go
there. There is an order in this market
to-day from Baltimore for 800 cars of
corn, and the firm who received it are
doing their level best to get a rate to
that point at which the order can be
filed Whether they viii succeed or
not remains to be seen. st. Louis trade
seems destined 90 be made the victim of
railroad rings. and when retaliation up
on these miserable combinations is sUg-
gested, no small amount of railway in
dignation is manifested. The commits
sion merchants Of this city ought to
form a league for their own protection,
just as the merchandisers of the city
have. This | eague should be main
tanned in force all the time, ready to
take swift action whenever combina-
tons or Determinations in any direc-
ton threaten the trade of the city. In
cases such as now presents itself, the
remedy would be to withdraw all ship
ments by rail, and ship via New Or
leans. 1t is true the time would be
greater; but there would be a saving in
freight which ought 70 compensate the
difference ii time.
determination Of the Cotton Worm.
1t has been proposed to import Eng
lish sparrOws TO eXUerminate the cotton
worm, but a correspondent of the New
Orleans Hcdyl18e suggests another
means, he says: JDuring long resi-
dence in Central America the writer has
noticed the habits of a very diminutive
ant called the terrier ant. No insect
will approach its habitation. 1t is per-
fectly harmless to vegetation and will
not permit any insect, or ven animals,
TO encrOach upon their premises under
penalty Of death. They do not build
nests, like other ants, but live anywhere,
where there is not a dense tropical
shade.
The writer is perfectly convinced that
if they al be imported into the cotton
regions of the United States, and will
the climate, that the cotton and
even the boil worm viii become a thing
of the past.
From many experiments in the de-
of insect life, the writer forms
his opinion, which can be corroborated
by friends in Central America, should
any n interested in the cotton plant
to write.
The first occasion that the writer had
to test the destructive attacks of the
ant on insect life, was when
stung by a singing scorpion contained
the sleeve Of his coat-an insect very
tenacious Of life, yet in less than three
minutes after 1t was given to the ants it
was dead.
A centipede, covered with a hard ar
NOR, suffered the same fate in four min
utes and a few seconds.
A tarantula died in less than two
minutes.
A snake nine feet long in fifteen min
utes.
There are numerous other expert
made by the writer, which he
could give but deems unnecessary.
The natives in Central America trans
port the ants from place to place by put
a little sugar in a bottle or calbOre
.gOUrd,) and when full transport them