Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-07-08

homework, unrecOgniZed grasses, &c.
Though quite moist they showed no trace
of termination, and ON many occasions
some seeds from among the numerous
heaps were taken, planted, and seen to
grow successfully. When traces of ger
mination were discovered to have taken
place, it was plain that the budding rootlet
had been gnawed off, thus nipping in the
| bud at the root When the seeds are al
| lowed to terminate in the nests or grana-
ries, before parts are consumed by the
ants, it would seem that they have n meth
cd of controlling the advancing changes,
either by exposing the seed directly to the
sunshine on the outside, as often witnessed,
the ants moving them to and fro, or sup
plying moisture within, by which process
the mailing process is set up when wanted,
and the starch being thereby changed into
sugar, in a manner familiar to ourselves,
is adapted to the suctorial mouths, and
consumed with avidity by all ants. This
brings to our notice that g Harvesting
Ants do not keep" cows" as aphldes
are considered to be toward other species !;
yet they all eagerly consume any sweet
juices of the animal or vegetable kingdoms
that may come in their way, even when
engaged in the business of their lives,-in
storing grain. Sometimes podura. spring
tails, and lepis ma, silver-tish were found,
as well as the larvae of some beetles, but
no other insect life accompanies these ants
The cynips. or gall insect, placed its eggs
on the seeds, and thus obtained entrance to
the granary in the usual way rs above
ground, and was subsequently Matched (as
the mailing process also favored lncuba-
tom without incommodng the ants. they
being hostile, seemingly, only to insects OF
their own species, against whom severe
wars are carried on for purposes of spolia-
ton. In the robbing other granaries, and
| transporting the many seeds, some are
| dropped by the wayside and about the
holes of their nests, to terminate and grow
| like others by accidental planting So,
also. they may be blown by the wind into
felicitous places, and we may imagine they
were planted by the ans with some idea OF
a future harvest; but no act of planting
| has yet been witnessed, us it might have
| been were such the fact.
So obscure are the underground habits OF
ants, that Mr. NJ. was induced to transpose a
colony to n place on his study table, pre-
pared with glass bounds, and there to wit
ness their habits at his leisure, by the aid
of a microscope and artificial light, rs well
us by day Various foods, such as house
! flies and other insects, both living and dead
were attacked and eaten. and even parts OF
animals We're cut to pieces that all the
| fluids might be absorbed, whilst the bony
or fibrOus skeletons were left. Seeds Were
carried underground, evidently as reserved
| food, for subsequently the hul!s were
brought out to the rubbish heap; or, if not
wanted were in some yet unknown way
prevented from growth or change ut the
will Of the insect, that, us wanted, starch
should become dextrine or glucose; when
soluble in the saliva it is available rs :
fluid More than Il dozen species of har-
vesting ants are now known, and it would
be interesting that others native to oui
country, and of like habits, are amongst
our larger varieties of wood ants.
We regret that the study of the habits o.
plants and animals is not more of u pas
time, especially among young people, who
| have the time and keenest senses for OBJ
servation, to whom we recommend always
the habits of close observation and notation
of all the phenomena OF nature 1t may be
for some of them to confirm the above facts
and report.-L. B. S. in NeW England
Farmer.