The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1904-06-22

,0rt. II the anu Cdu uO "udu 10 0lo1' iNeo
'or it, the value Of few dozen specl-
neus would be enormous, supposlnR
that a greater number could not De
secured. But, as a matter OF fact,
the Insects are obtainable In unlimited
guam tiles, and Professor Cook has
already forwarded to washington a
consignment Of them, alive and healthy,
In a perforated tin box, together with
a few pieces Of sugar cane to supply
them with food.
When they arrive they will be care
fully inspected by Professor L. O.
and his assistant entomolo.
gsts, who will duly classify and name
the species, and proper measures will
be taken TO propagate them in large
numbers. To do this should not
be difficult, inasmuch as they are re-
ported to have none Of the vicious
biting habits which distinguish many
tropical ants, and sugar being their
favorite food it ought to be practica-
BILE to rear them easily enough.
It does not appear that the ant
feeds upon the boll-weevil. On the
contrary, it is attracted to the cotton
plant by the sweet juice which the
nectaries" OF honey containing GLAND
Of the latter afford. But it is at
least conceivable that the ant, which
belongs to the most intelligent of all
insect tribes, recognizes the character
of the bug that destroys the source OF
it's food supply, and so finds 1t judic-
ious to kill the weevil. On the other
hand, it does not do the least injury
to the cotton or to any other plant, 50
far as has been ascertained, and, by
reason OF it's peaceable disposition to.
ward man, it can be handled with i'm
punity.
"These ants" says Professor Cook,
probably came originally, like the
Indians Of Alta Vera Paz, from the
dry, open interior plateau region,
where the center of the aboriginal
cotton industry Of Guatemala is still
located" This, if correct, is very
important, because it would signify
that the insects are natives OF a mod
erately cool climate-a fact which
would have a bearing upon the pros
pect of introducing them successfully
in Texas and in other parts OF our
own cotton belt. II they were dis
tinctively tropical, they might not be
able tc survive in Cur Southern States.
Professor Cook goes on to say that
these ants are able to protect them.
selves pretty well against frost, owing
to their habit of burrowing deep into
the ground, where they excavate their
nests three feet or more below the
surface Of the soil. They are also
hardy in other respects, as Is shown
by the fact that several Of them, shut
up in a box, survive for twelve days
without any food whatever. Later on
they thrived on diet Of cane juice.
1t is believed that there will be 10
difficulty in fetching indefinite num-
bers Of the worker ants to this coun-
try, but to secure queens and establish
colonies may require considerable time
and a thorough study OF all the habits
of the species.
Although the cotton seems to be
specially adapted to attract the ant,
owing to its numerous honey glands,
the ant" says Professor Cook, lis not
restricted to a single plant or to a
single kind of prey. 1t attacks and
destroys insects Of every order, In
cluding squash bugs and SOW bugs,
and even kills centipedes. It is a
much more efficient destroyer OF noxl-
Gus insects than the spider or the
toad. In short, it is not unlikely to
become valued assistant in the
agriculture of sub tropical countries,
if not in temperate regions. The
farmer has a new and practical reason
to consider the ant:
One thing to be considered about
these particular ants is that socially
speaking, they are much more highly
organized than human beings. Like
human beings, they combine for pur.
D -ses of industry and for the making
of war; but, unlike ourselves, every
thing they do is for the general wei
fare and benefit Of the community.
and never for sake Of the Individual
For safety as well as convenience, they
build their cities underground, Theil
food they store in suhterranean rooms
while other apartments are devoted K
the rearing of their young,
The gateway Of the suhterranear
town is round hole, beneath which
is vestibule, with passage leading
downward at a slant to the rooms
beneath. The walls and floors OF The
rooms are neatly and smoothly finish
ed with plaster, for which suitable
earth is brought from above and made
adhesive with the saliva Of the insects
There is usually one grand storeroom
with a dome-shaped ceiling, and many
smaller rooms for storage purposes
which, as a rule, are sealed tightly
when they are full, and not opened
until tits necessary to.draw upon their
contents.
All of the labor, Of whatever de-
scription, is performed by the worker
ants, which are undeVeloped females
The males do nothing, the sole pur'
pose of there existence being to perpe
tuate the species. The developed
females, or queens, are destined tx
become the mothers of future colonies
The workers constitute the bulk OF
the population, being devided into
two classes-workers major anc
workers minor, the former being dis
tinguished from the latter chiefly by
the fact that they have bigger heads.
When the time comes for the an
nual marriage flight the winged
males and females-the workers have
no wings-issue from the subter-
rauean town in great numbers. After
mating the males die, but each fe-
male sets out Immediately to begin
the accomplishment Of her one i'm
No~onlc ~ hn