The leader., 1904-07-09
FARMER AND PLANTER.
THE BOIL WEEVIL's ENEMY.
Something About the Little Brown
Ant That Fights and Conquers
the Roll Weevil.

An ant, newly discovered and worth
q quarter Of a billion dollars year to
the southern and southwestern states,
Is now about to leap into the arena Of
every cotton plantation, clashing its
mandibles and rushing to battle with
the terrible boil weevil, the ruthless
destroyer of cotton. It is microscopic
in size, brown in color, flexible Of
body, pugnacious of temper, poisonous
with venom. Thanks to this sudden
ally, the south's shuddering fight
against the boil weeyil changes from
that of lost cause to a campaign APP
parentIy certain of victory. The lit
tie brown ant will work the change.
1t Is the scrappiest living organism
for its size and weight In the world
1t was apparently created for the sole
purpose of exterminating the boil
weevil. 1t is the little brown Jap Of
the insect world, just as the boil weeyil
is the bulky and greedy Russian over
running the Manchuria of King Cotton's
country, 1t would rather kill boil
weevils than eat, and its fighting tao
tics are irresistible. The ant will be
shown at the Worlds fair.
This amazing ant, whose value to the
world at large is almost beyond COM
putation, destroys the boil weevil faster
than the boil weevil destroys cotton
and the latter's destructiveness has I'M
til now held the worlds record. Around
every cotton stalk the little brown ant
establishes a Cossack outpost picket,
FIVE strong, and watches for the boil
weeyil. 1t falls upon its enemy with
Incredible fury, prizes open the weevil's
beetle-like armor, plunges its envenom-
ed sting in to the exposed part
and then it's the Dead March in Saul
for the weeYil The combats thus car
ried on are said to be intensely excit-
ing as spectacles.
So thrilling are they, in fact, that
the Worlds fair management is to be
urged to arrange for daily exhibit
showing battle between this wonder
full ant and the cotton-killing boil
weeyil. 1t is represented that the COM
batants could be exhibited ina case I'M
der microscopic lenses giving a vastly
3A1ACQ wow III LILO Ii oJs AO WAOAO
world at the fair might gaze spell
bound at such an encounter and APP
plaud it's outcome-for the little brown
ant is always the victory, and his vic
tory means that the worlds cotton
crops are hereafter to be harvested for
mans use instead of largely going to
feed the boil weevil as in recent years.
Yet the little brown ants name is
unknown 1t 1t zone of the few, the
immortal names, that were not born
to de-" but thus far its intrepid owner
is advancing incognito to his death
grapple with the boil weevil. All that
is known of him is that7he halls from
Guatemala, where he has slain all the
boil weeviIs, and that he has never
yet declined fight with his hereditary
feudsman or been bested in such a
light.
Name or no name, however, the lit
tie brown ant will receive welcome
as warm as If his cognomen we're en-
graved with gratitude's fingers on ev-
cry American especially since
cynics say gratitude is "a lively sense
of favors to come" For this ant is the
most benefcent creature the cotton
country has ever been called upon to
greet, and upon the prosperity of the
cotton country depends much Of the
prosperity and comfort Of all the world.
It dwells in the cotton fields, but it
does no harm to the cotton. 1t will
be found on every stalk, but not one
mouthful of the staple or fiber will 1t
eat, nor will it to the extent Of
pounds weight Lessen the annual crop.
Rather will it insure a maximum of
harvest for every plantation, because
1t will be there as faithful sentinel,
challenging and fighting to the death
the inveterate enemy of cotton.
This good and faithful ant, like many
other good and faithful creatures, is
not pretty to look at. Seen through
microscope, it suggests a Welsh rare
bit nightmare or the fever imaginative
product Of broiled lobster eaten just
before bedtime. 1t Is hairy and trucu-
lent. It has fierce eyes. 1t has steel
like mandibles which it fourishes
about it's rugged head in the most
threatening manner 1t has formida-
BILE jaws that snap together as do those
of a cruel animal trap. At the end
which goes last over fence it has a
lance-sharp sting that fairly reeks with
poison It has a supple body so full
of the Joy of conflict that it bends into
a circle when the fight wakes hottest,
S4n tr.x INC
dibles, jaws and sting in a most har-
monious aggression. And it doesn't
belle its looks. 1t is killer It makes
a slaughter house of its immediate
vicinity, the insect creation furnishing
the material, with the boil weevil for
choice. If there are 70 boil weeyils
around-and boil weeyils have now dis
appeared from Guatemala attacks
and Stays centipedes hundreds of times
its size.
The ants challenge is only to the
insect world It is mans true friend.
The people of the southern states will
grow to love its very ugliness on bet
ter acquaintance. Even in It's method
Of warfare this ant is what Artemus
Ward woIld have called an amoosin'
little cues" It's as good as a circus
to see how It. conducts its militant
campaign against the boil weevil. The
little brown ant is sagacious, as well
as humorous antagonist. He refuses
to mass in large numbers at any given
point on cotton plantation. Instead,
he goes about his field work in groups
Of I'VE, forming independent scouting
parties One member Of the group
scurries up to the top Of the cotton
stalk. Another halts an inch or two
below this crows nest" lookout sem
try. A third stations himself about
midway on the stalk The fourth and
fifth patrol the ground, each covering
half of the prospect encircling them.
Organized Train work.
Suddenly, exactly as a sailor in the
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