The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1904-07-19
THE GUATEMALAN ANTS.
Eighty-Nine Colonies To Be Taken
To Texas.
Washington Star.

Eighty-aine colonies OF the boil
weevil-killing Guatemalan ants have
arrived at New Orleans under the
care Of Dr.. O. F. Cook, tropical boto-
mist of the department of agriculture,
who discovered them, and are to be
set at work at once in Texas. They
are said to be harmless creatures, save
to boil weevils. will eat from the hand
and otherwise behave themselves with
decorun.
These now famous ants were acci-
dentally found by DR.. Cook during
his travels in Guatemala. He had
been sent there by the department of
agriculture TO make a study OF the
rubber industry, when he discovered
cotton growing lrxuriantly despite
the presence of the devastating wesvll.
He thought the variety OF the cotton
immune to the insect, but alter con-
siderable study learned that such was
not the case. Dut l4ltii liS NN~N4-'
were killed by rnyriadS OF ants which
inhabited the cotton fields. The ants
are fond OF the juices within the heart
of the cotton boil, but in eating do
not injure this juice, but he not only
drinks the juice, but eats the tender
heart Of the boil as side dish.
Adopting the principle that self-pres-
ervation is the first law of nature, the
Guatemalan ants lie in wait for the
weevil and put him out of business
with a few carefully planted thrusts
OF their stings. The nectar is then
at the disposal of the ant.
They are guaranteed not to injure
cotton. man or beast, and their intro
duction into the Texas fields and their
work there are awaited with intense
interest, not only by the scientists OF
the department OF agriculture. but by
the entire commercial world. The
small .weevil has become a fearsome
monster in the eyes OF the cotton
growing peoples OF the earth and all
sorts OF remedies have been suggest
ed. Not until the discovery Of the
Guatemalan ant, however. has any
thing been found that was as bad or
worse than the weevll.
Of course, the scientists Of the de-
partment are not prepared to assert
that this ant will do the same work
as in his native flaunts, but unless
there is legal interference he will be
given a fair trial This interference is
threatened from Texas, where Ross
L. Clark, cotton planter living near
Houston, has applied to the courts for
an injunction against DR.. Cook from
turning his ants loose on the soil OF
Texas within the jurisdiction Of the
court. 1t is not expected by the gov
ernment officials that the Injunction
will prevail and the experiments will
be begun at once on the government
AGRICULTURAL reservation, Professor
Hunter being given charge of the
creatures.
B. T. Galloway, chief of the bureau
of plant industry of the department OF
agriculture, under whose direction DR..
Cook has been working, said that the
fear of Mr.. Clark was from what he
had learned, unfounded and that the
ants were not at all destructive to
anything OF value to man and only
killed the boil weevil. They will not
be turned into the cotton fields of any
planter unless request is made OF the
department and the experiments un-
der the direction of Professor Hunter
will be exhaustively carried out before
even this is done 1t is not known
just how the imported ants will act
when they get foot-loose on the free
soil OF America, and until their char
arters have been fully proven they
will be kept under strics surveillance
and not be permitted to N."der from
the limitations Of the government ex-
pertinent station.