The Portland daily press., 1894-08-04
TEXAS ANTS.
The Little Creatures Are as Systematic in
Their Labors as Farmers

Last summer in July believe it was,
while lying in the shade of large
pecan tree, noticed small family of
| aphides on the leaf of cotton stalk,
and was not a little surprised moment
later on seeing large red ant with
black head and lorg legs emerge from
the under side of the leaf I soon recog-
| nized him as one of the well known
pastoral ants (hpoclines). industrlaily
the lowest of the ant family, and who
lead lonely life, like the old Syriac
shepherds tending their pigmy cows.
On the same leaf I noticed 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 protu beranc-
es on the abdomen induced slight
flow of that sweeG liquor, the honey
dew of the aphi. These crystal beads of
honey they dextorously 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 rivaled by that of the farmer ant,
also a native of far western Texas.
These remarkable insects according to
some writers, plant each year crop OF
ant rice, cereal seemingly originated
by some formic agriculturist in bygone
ages, and when the crop is ripe they
gather it into subterraneous grainaries,
always reserving store for planting.
Somewhat resembling in occupation the
farmer ant, Texas can boast many colo
MES of the UNI brella or leaf cutting ant,
so common and destructive in Mexico
and Central America In the latter
countries they are quite destructive
often destroying large trees. and their
depredations have to be guarded against
by means of wooden hllets wound about
the trunks OF the trees. Many notions,
wholly without foundation, seem to be
current concerning these strange little
pests. Their method of operation, SO
far as l have observed in Fort Bend
county, IS to strip only the smaller trees
and shrubs The leaves are not cut into
disc-shaped pieces, as commonly suppo-
sed, 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 construct, or clear,
broad, smooth roads, often as much as
200 yards in length and from six to eight
inches broad. These roads display con-
siderable engineering skill, Astounding
in curves, grades and even tunnels. The
leaf-cutters seem to be the most indus
trious 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 little fellow,
not more than the fourth of an inch
long, hurrying madly along. with huge
- H. - L
The nest of the umbrella ant is very
poor affair, and bears about the same
relation to the neat tunels of t; farmer
ant that the howell of the seuatter does
to the substantial home of the prosper
GUS farmer. Any rude hole or hollow
log serves the Ieaf-gatherer as a store
room, where he puts away his hot bed
to hatch out the eggs deposited by the
female. The leaf cutter is thus the
original inventor of the incu bator, al
though his rights have never been recog-
nized by letters patent. -Galveston
News.