Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1901-10-10

anu appointed TO inherent sorts Of
duties. The larger moiety by constant
exercise develop fierce nipping laws
and poison stings. The others in
some curious fashion increase the size
of their heads, especially if they hap
pen to be considerably bigger than
their masters. Thus these big heads
enable them to block a passageway
solidly against an invading foe. 1t
must have been an ant general who
first said: Let us get our heads to-
gether."
Exceptionally elastic slaves are
transferred by the ants into living
honey bottles. They are found with
abdomens abnormally distended, and
full of the honey dew the working
slaves bring in. Honey dew is a Sc
erection of the aphides or plant lice
which the ant swarms domesticate
and keep in herd within the nests.
But many more remain outside. Ants
are passionately fond of honey and.
indeed, Of all sweet juices. They are
also great mushroom eaters and grow
mushrooms within their nests. There
are probably among the ants as many
SAD tragedies from installing toad
stools for mushrooms as there are in
the upper world among men, and this
fact should be another bond of SYM
pathy between humanity and the ants.
Inc ants also cultivate certain species
or orchids and bring about distinct
notifications of the plant form, sting
ing the young, tender stems so fierceIy
they swell, become almost globular.
and dlstill a thin semi-saccharine Juice
which the ants no doubt regard as
rare wine. One particular species of
orchid is, indeed, so infested with a
virulently singing ant the collection
Of it is dangerous. The minute the
plant is touched all the ants swarming
over it rush to the point of attack.
But even more curious is the fact that
the orchid will not flourish without
the ants, but withers away after
feeble, struggling years growth.
Slavery's Demoralizinu Effect,
Slave holding among ants seems to
be as demoralizing upon the slave hold
ing class as it was among human
beings. Few among the slave hold
ing ants remain capable and vigorous.
They cannot build nests, care for their
young, or even feed themselves Not
few, when their slaves have chosen
the site and built the nests, ride to
their future home on a slaves back
Hospitality is a feature of ant life
Despite some of their more disagree
able traits the ants are said to be ex-
tremely courteous and generous to
the stranger ant that is Gin their
midst" He is made to feel at home,
and probably taken around and shown
the orchid farm and the mushroom
plantation and the herd of living
honey bottles and the mich kline in
sects grazing on thousand hills I'M
der the watchful eyes of the shepherd
slaves and the faithful insect dogs.
But if the stranger ant happens to
be an unwelcome guest or if he be-
longs to the other political party or
makes himself obnoxious to one of the
family, woe unto him. The slave ants
l
meled and beaten without mercy and
finally hauled outside che door where
the dogs are set on him. Finally the
slave ant dismember him and then
haul him outside the nest to die, it
seeming to be an ant superstition that
bad luck Will follow the death of a
stranger inside the nest
The scientists say that a year is
the average span Of an ants life,
though some species live to five years,
seven years. Another interesting fact
is that many species of ants fertilize
and apparently cultivate many varie-
ties of foodstuffs The trimmer ants
and the harvesting ants of Texas are
both of this kind. The trimmers
prune sort of weed which is to their
taste so that it shall grow strong and
sturdy and the harvesting ants go even
further than this. They clear disks
several yards across around about
their nests of all manner of vegeta-
ton. Then they plant these farms
with an ant rice, which they watch
and tend until it ripens, keeping the
crop carefully free of weeds and in
sects. The ants dogs keep the ant
COWS out of the growing grain and the
farmer ants probably sit around
themselves at night with shotguns to
shoot colored ants suspected of pit
fering.