The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-29
THEY RAISE GRAIN
Wonderful Mexican Insects That
Till the Soil
They Plant Fields OF Grain anc by Their
Industry aud Ingenuity Gain sub
sistence in an Almost Bar
rem Land.

Recently Prof. W. ]. MCGEE, Of the
government scientific corps. paid a visit
10 some very remarkable farmers in
Sonora. Mexico. These are the So
tailed agricultural ants, which plant
Helds of grain and regularly harvest
their crops. Upon the latter they de-
bend wholly for food. In fact, if the
srops should fail they would perish OF
famine.
The fields of the farmer ant cover
scores of square miles in Sonora. The
home of a colony is marked ordinarily
py circular clearing from five to thir-
tv-ive feet in diameter, on which moth
ing is permitted to grow. This serves
rs a sort of parade and exercise ground
Around the clearing is ring of luxuri-
Int grass from three to twenty feet
wide. On the seeds Of this grass the
insects subsist, planting it every spring
and garnering the crop in the autumn.
Turnpikes few inches wide connect
farm with farm for many furlongs-
In the region described, says the New
York World, there is practically no
vegetation except the grasses cultivated
by these ants. The latter appear to
keep down and exterminate all other
plants, such as cacti, greasewood and
mesquite. In short, these insects have
developed an art Of agriculture pecul-
lar to themselves, have made conquest
of the land for their needs, and have
Rrtifcialized certain cereals as thor
oughly as maize and barley have been
artifcialized by NAN.
Thus" said Prof. MCGEE, "the rig
prous environment of the desert has de-
veloped one of the most remarkable in
telligences, and, incidentally, an ami
mai and a plant have come to be mu-
tually dependent upon each other for
existence"
The agriculture of these ants seems
TO be far more extensive in Sonora than
In Texas, where their farming opera
tions have been exhaustively described
BY Henry C. McCook. On the fat table
lands of the Lone Star state their
farms are plentifully scattered. These,
like those of Mexico, are mostly fat
and circular clearings, from which com
munication is had by roads with the
surrounding cultivated heritage. In
the center Of each such clearing is a
hole which serves as a gateway, open
ing into the subterranean formicary.
So widely distributed are the farms
that they are found in the very streets
end gardens of Austin, Tex
At the time of the harvest one or
more of the roads leading TO the forIni-
cary may be seen on any fine day to be
thronged with workers marching to and
fro in double column, one going and
one coming. The pathway is trodden
hard by their feet. Those coming are
heavily laden, each carrying seed.
They do not gather the seeds from the
grass tops, but pick up those which
have ripened and fallen. Forthese they
search on the ground in the forest of
grass stalks, feeling for them with their
antennn. Having secured one, work
er ant lifts it, adjusts the burden SO as
TO be carried most easily. and finds her
way back to the road, along which she
trots homeward, finally disappearing
through the gateway.
Within the gate is yestibule, from
which a passageway leads downward
at slant to the room beneath. Some
of these rooms are nurseries Tor the
rearing OF the young of the colony,
while others are granaries in which the
seeds are stored. Usually the rooms
are shaped somewhat like horseshoes.
the walls and floors being neatly and
smoothly finished with plaster, Tor
= -
above and made adhesive with the
saliva of the insects. There is apt to be
one grand storeroom two inches or so
in height and three or four inches long.
the other apartments being somewhat
smaller. All of them are formed with
domeS.
The seeds before being stored in the
pranaries are husked. AL refuse, In
Guiding husks and imperfect seeds, is
carried out and thrown outside the
limits of the formicary. Nothing is
permitted to remain on the clearing
ANYTHING that falls upon, it is cut to
pieces and taken away. If luclIless
tumblebug rolls its ball into the for
hidden territory it is driven away, or Il
it refuses to retreat it is promptly
killed.
The workers possess very formidable
stings. which are used with effect upon
too inquisitive human beings The
poison seems to be quite powerful,
causing Inflammation and sometimes
nausea. However, the insects are quite
peaceful unless outrageously disturbed.
After they have harvested their grain
In the autumn they carefully cut away
all the dry stubble, SO that their fields
NAV be ready for planting in the
spring. Respecting the methods OF
planting adopted by the insects, no re
liable observations have been made rr
70 date. All of the labor of whatever
description is performed by the work
ers. who are undeveloped females. The
males do nothing, the sole purpose OF
their existence being TO perpetuate the
.pecies. The developed females are
destined TO become the mothers of IL
ture colonies.
These ants always establish then
colonies in places where there Is unob
structed sunlight because
shade would interfere with their farm
ing operations If a tree grows uT
near them they will cut off every
one of its leaves in early spring. They
work only in the cool OF the day.
of