St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1896-07-25

cruelty malki,nlr upon n. cross OF
gold. "NI.Appiause
Written for the FARMER.
SEQ to the Ant, Thou
Sluggard. .
How 1 did 80, and became wiser,
will explain.
81 suppose you had plenty of the
hymcnoptera there" remarked the
Professor. Well, can tell you about
few that may interest you. The ma
tives call them s.hormigos," we call
them ants.
There were fourteen distinct syecies,
and whichever particular tribe or col
ony we had business relations with. we
wished it had been one of the others.
The domestic ant-that is to say the
tribes that welcome the stranger with
effuss0n, and make themselves at home
in his abode, especially in the kitchen
and pantry-differ in their tastes. For
instance, the small sized race, in a 81.
emma cOlOrcd costume, were fond Of
sugar, (br0wn preferred preserves, OF
any substance containing saccharine
ingredients. They had a craving fol-
cake, especially if care had been taken
to place 1t out of their reach.
81 defy them to get ut it nOw," said
ssthe Governor" one evening. 81 have
placed it In the center Of large pan OF
water, on the top of glass jar, and
they hate water, you know"
But the next mOroing the cake was
hOney-cOmbed throughout, and frag
ments enough were oh the water to af-
ford safe pontoOn bridge across the
inch or two of water for the escape OF
the main army, the "rear guard" being
yet inside aud about the captured cake
The invading column had simply drop.
ped upon it from the ceiling.
Another colony, of larger physical
development. in q uniform of pale
brick color, wanted the s.fat" of ths
larder and pantry. They approved Of
ham. bacon, or even lard, ana aftei
some experience, acquired a taste fol
Chicago canned beef-it did not seen
to hurt them.
Then there was very small ret
breed, whose aim in existence seemed
to be to reach the center of loaf Of
bread, while hundreds Of his fellows
were exploring all other parts of the
porous structure,
The large, parti.cOlOred tribe red
and black-of nocturnal habits and pre-
datOry instincts, not on friendly term:
with the other tribes, was an occasion.
al visitor. At uncertain seasons, bu,
always at dead of night, they would
pour up from under ground, like the
water from an artesian well, Swarmins
in countless millions over the house
floors, through pantry. closet ant
kitchen, looking for the other tribes, te
see what they were at, and Selling On
the plunder themselves.
Those midnight maraude seemed
to have no particular regimen or diet.
airy rules. They devOured all with
equal relish apparently, with prefer.
an open can. Their bite is almost a.
painful as the sting of q wasp. The,
are armed with large curved mandibles
and seem gifted with great muscnlal
energy to insert them where they viii
do the most execution. especially OF
mankind. One nights experience will
l serve as an example.
One moonlight night, near midnight
ssthe GOVERNOR dearly beloved
partner of my few joys and many sor-
rows-rapped on the partition, and ask.
ed If l was awake, and If l could get :
glass Of water for one o: the boys-wht
very often had = midnight craving fOl
milk, lemonade, water, or perhaps colo
tea, with or without q sandwich,
The mild. silvery radiance of til,
moon illumined the interior of GU
abode, through the wide open door,
aud windows, rs l cheerfully Obeve,
the call. As passed from my room
into the central ''sala," l saw that tn,
floor was covered in parts with darl
meving masses of ,useets, glistening il
the moonlight like moving patches o
glass beads, with low, humming
iasping sound from the rapidly movin.
myriads. 1t was their first VISIT wa
not acquainted with them, but they in
troduced themselves IN . moment.
had NO time for reflection or curiosity
for my feet and ankles seemed strucI
with adhesive sparks of firc-and-
made enthusiastically, with emphatic
.onc. and language not in harmon,
with our Episcopal ritual, as l made
wild ieap fer The table IN the center o
the sala."
With strange rapidity they seeMe,
to have finished off my lower cxtremi
ties-they were trying my calves, ant
inviting their comrades to come up an,
have = good time.
AS Jumped Ypan tue table / shouted
for Pedro, ths peon who did bis snor
ing Oh the veranda in tho rear. eth
Governor, no, on secont
thought, will not repeat what sh'
said she was not aware of ths--th'
extcnuatiny circumstances, 80 to say
and was not in a position then to ex
plain, for Pedro had come in, and ha'
| commenced dancing the s.coOmbia,
shouting to bis patron Saint, aud fran
tically threshinS his lower limbs will
his blanket. The gist Of her Temark'
was that l ought to be ashamed of my
| self to use such awful expressions she
| was glad the boys were not awake to hea
! it-and If that was the way l carried
on, fer such simple mater as glas!
of water, she you'd never, no! never
ask me again. think sic said was ,
brute--the s.brute" at that moment wal
seated on a pile of books on top of tn,
table, battling his extremities will
| kerosene from the student lamp, knock
ed over in his fraptic leap upon the Ia
BILE.
Pedro and the kitchen corps flooded
the floors with water, and our visitor.
returned to :Symone's hole" ~ whcr-
ever else tkey came from. The sur.
prise party broke up and vanished with
wonderful speed. In half an hour no,
On6 Of them could be found.
The carrier ant deserves special men
ton he reaiter. for their martial train.
ing, engineering skill, aud their pecu-
liar tribal laws and customs. 49,
The Crop Figures.
It is fortunate fQr ti,;s country
that our prosperity does MT depend
on the speeches, votes and nomina-
tiOns made in national conventions.