The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-07-16
TEXAS ANTS.
The Creatures Systematic in Their
Labors as Farmers.
From the Galveston News.

From the Galveston News
Last summer, in July believe it was,
while lying in the shade of a large pecan
tree, noticed a small family of aphides
on the leaf of cotton stalk. and was not
little surprised moment later on seeing
a large red ant with black head and long
legs emerge from the under side of the
leaf. soon recognized him as one of the
well known pastoral ants (hypoclines),
industriaIly the lowest of the ant family,
and who lead a lonely life, like the
old Syriac. shepherds tending
their pigmy cows On the same
leaf I noticed a fellow-herder who
was tending still smaller flock. Both
went about from time to time and
gently stroking with their antennae, the
two tube-like protuberances on the abdo-
men induced slight flow of that sweet
liquor, the honey dew of the apir. These
crystal beads of honey they deXterously
licked off before they fell on the leaf and
quickly hurried away to repeat the same
operation on another aphide.
The sagacity of the shepherd ant is only
riyaled by that of the farmer ant, also a
native of far Western Texas. These re-
markable insects, according to some wri-
tiers. plant each year crop of ant rice, a
cereal seemingly originated by some
fOrmic agriculturist in bygone ages, and
when the crop is ripe they gather 1t into
subterraneous granaries, always reservlng
"a store for planting.
Somewhat resem bling in occupation the
farmer ant, Texas can boast many col
onles of the umbrella or leaf-cutting ant,
so common and destructive in Mexico and
Genital America, In the latter countries
they are quite destructive, often destroy
ing large trees, and their depredations
have to be guarded against by means of
wooden fillets wound about the trunks of
the trees. Many notions wholly without
foundation, seem to be current concern
ing these strange little pests. Their
method of operation, so far as l have OBJ
served in Fort Bend county, is TO strip
only the smaller trees and shrubs. The
leaves are not cut into disk-shaped pieces,
as commonly supposed, but in any form
that suits the artistic fancy Of the ant. TO
facilitate progress to and from the leaf
cutting grounds and nest, the ants CON
strUct, or clear, broad smooth roads
often as much as zoo yards in
length and from six to eight inches
broad. These roads display con-
siderable engineering skill abound
ing in curves, grades and even tunnels.
The leaf-cutters seem to be the most in
dustrious Of all the ant family; big, little,
old and young seeming to be animated
with an almost insane desire to do his
share of the work. Nothing could be
more amusing than to see a lite fellow,
not more than the fourth of an inch long,
hurrying madly along with a huge leaf
dexterously held in his mandibles. The
nest of the umbrella ant is a very poor
affair. and bears about the same relation
to the neat tunnels of the farmer ant that
the howell of the squatter does to the sub
stautial home of the prosperous farmer
ANY rude hole or hollow log serves the
leaf-gatherers as 4 storeroom, where he
puts away his hotbed TO hatch out the
eggs deposited by the female. The leaf
cutter is thus the original inventor of the
incubator, although his rights have never
been recognized by letters patent.