The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1881-01-27
THE STANDARD.
Thursday, ---- January q, 1881.
rScientific Americana
Curious Uses and Works of Ants.

At the recent Southboro session OF
the Massachusetts, State Board of Ag-
riculture, Prof. E. S. Moorse gave the
following curious particulars about
ants:
The ant belongs to family of in
sects such as wasps, bees, hornets, but
is the superior of them all, as are the
elephant, the horse, and the dog, In
other lines of animal life. Ants are
constructed with the shack" bone in
front, and the heart and other internal
organs on the opposite side are put
together upside down, as we might
think. Their mouth is for biting and
swallowing food only, not for breath
ing Their bite is so determined and
lasting that they are used in some
countries for confining the edges of
wounds and cuts. Ants heads are
presented to the cut surface, which
they grasp with their nippers, when
their bodies are cut off leaving a whole
row of them to hold the flesh. They
are cheaper than sticking plaster in
some countries.
AS an illustration Of their ingenuity
and intelligence, it was stated that
they sometimes excavate tunnels un-
der rivers of considerable depth and
width, and use the tunnels for trans
porting supplies. They dig wells
twenty feet deep and foot in dame
ter for drinking water. The harvest
ing ants plant seeds on farms, which
they cultivate with great skill and
neatness, keeping every weed down
and harvesting the grain, curing and
storing it safely in weather-proof cav
tiles Of the soil They also organize
into divisions with commanders, each
individual doing certain kind of work.
Some ants are smart enough for
engineers, while others only know
enough to do as they are told. They
can count and make correct estimates
Of the magnitude Of the undertaking,
as proved by observers.
Eight chrysalides (often called the
eggs Of ants) were placed in path
where ants travel. A single individ-
ual found them and undertook to re-
move them to their home. Several
were carried by the single ant patient
ly enough, but when twenty chryso-
lides were placed in the heap, another
ant was found engaged in the work.
The pile was increased at intervals till
eighty ants engaged in the undertake
ing, showing that workers were de-
tailed according to the demands of
the cases.
Ants battles sometimes last many
days, in one case seven weeks, the VIC
tors finally taking the stores and re-
moving them to their own houses.
Their wars are quite as justifable as
those of men, when the object pillage
is the same. They have the power,
too, of knowing members of their own
communities even after six months
absence. Strangers are always driven
off. or killed. They are very helpful
to each other, and show sympathy in
case of accident or sickness. Some
families of ants build arched roads
covered by an arch Of clay or mortar
for protection against enemies, and
show great skill in the work, which is
under the supervision of trained en-
gineers, who order rebuilding il the
work is not perfect. Some kinds OF
ANTS keep cows, build cow-yards, and
milk their cows regularly, and don't
throw milking stools at them either
to make them ''give down. but pat
and stroke their backs very tenderly
Of course these cows are the plant
aphides so familiar to all farmers and
gardeners.