The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1888-05-31


plished in less than one thousand years.
1t is likely that in some cases, over con-
siderable areas, a tolerably complete
overturning is brought about in less
than quarter of this time.
The effect of this action of ants on
the soil material is peculiar. The ten
dency is like that noted by DR.. Darwin
in the case of earth-worms to bring the
finer particles to the surface. I am in
clined to think the ants accomplished
this part of their work even more
effectively than the earth-worms. for
the reason that they penetrate more
deeply between the stones than their
less active associates. Like the earth
worms. but in larger measure, the ants
convey considerable amounts of organic
matter into the soil. Their winter store
of food is deeply buried. and much of it
remains unconsumed in the neither
earth. There is thus u constant in
mutation of vegetable matter beneath
the materials which they bring to the
surface.
Although the burrowing vertebrates
operate most vigorously in the forest
covered regions, they also exercise q
certain influence on the open country.
The moles, which work only here and
there in the forest, are conspicuous
agents in overturning the soil in the
erased regions. Still, as this group is
peculiarly limited in its distribution and
rarely penetrates to more than four or
five inches below the surface. it exercises
a relatively small effect. The field
mice are more potent agents in effect
ing the character of the soil. Their
dwelling-chambers are at considera-
BILE depth below the surface, and in
forming them, they a bring certain
amount of matter to the open air.
Moreover, the remains of their food. as
well as their excrements. are important
contributions to the organic matter of
the soil. Insects in their larval stage
exercise less effect in the open field
than in the forest-coyered regions; still
they are not to be left out of account in
considering the process of soil-making
in such areas. In Europe the rabbit,
which has habit of burrowing to a
considerable depth, and in certain dis
tricts west of the Mississippi. the prairie
dogs overturn the soil on the areas they
occupy with considerable rapidity. Still
as the number of these creatures in any
given district is not great, their inf1u-
ence is mostly exercised in a very local
way.
The foregoing considerations make it
tolerably clear that our ants are, in
some districts. by far the most impor-
tant agents in overturning the soil and
in commingling the superficial organic
matter with the mineral material of
which it is composed. Although on a
field of a certain class, those which are
of clayey nature, the earth-worms
are probably more efficient soilmakers
than the ants, this latter group appears
to be, at least in the eastern part of
North America, on the whole, by far
the most effective in the preparation of
the soil for the needs of plants. They
do not, it is true, take the soil into their
bodies, and thus disintegrate it, as the
earth-worms do, but they accomplish
what is perhaps the more important
task of rapidly overturning the soil
material, as well within the forests as
in the open fields, wherever that mate
rial is of sandy ature.-Popular
Scie7sce MONTHLY.