The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1904-09-05

csc Bamboo as likely 20 thrive In en-
South. and offered samples Of IL Il
Southern farmers. They planted Il
1 There can be no question about w
thriving.
Mr. Clark, who Il leading the fgh
against the Gustamalan ant, IS one D.
the men MO planted the bamboo. i
I grew so fast that he AMI his neighDori
became alarmed, as ii threatened tc
cover the whole plantation When he
tried to get rid of it, he could no
until he built leyee around the
bamboo patch and kept 1t saturated
with crude Beaumont oil.
Either the plant ficurishes better In
this country than in Japan, or the
Japanese know some way OF holding
the growth in check, which the dc
partment OF agriculture forgot to get
Bamboo may make very fine baskets,
MIR. Clark says, but the South is not
prepared Just now to abandon cotton
and all its other crops and conhne It's
energies to basket making
With these facts before them, the
Texas farmers aud their friends have
not only flooded the department OF
agriculture at WASHINGTON with iuquir-
les and protests, but also announced
their intention TO fight the kalep in
the courts 20 the last ditcn An in
junction has already been secured
from the Texas district court at Hous-
ton, directed against Dr.. Cook and
other employees OF the department OF
agriculture. prohibiting them from
introducing into Texas the Guatema.-
an ant.
The injunction recites that it IL
propose to bring In this amt and turn
it loose at the United tSates govern
ment experiment station at Victoria,
Tex. They say the ant w0uld spread
TO all parts of the state, would become
so numerous in time as to prove q.
intolerable pest, would sting the labor
ers in the field. and then would render
it impossible TO pick cotton, ultimate
ly destroying the cotton crop and all
other vegetation.
The injunction has delayed the OBJ
aning OF the kalep.weevil war. The
ants wiz spend some rime in New
Orleans, until the department Of agri-
culture decides what to do.
The collection of these ants cost
several months Of hard work in Alta
Vera Pax, Guatemala. The insect has
10 scientific name, but is known 20
ne natives Or Indians as the kalep. [
/ is red, and about twicS the sire IF 4
IN ordinary ant.
DR. Cook has some 5000 ants, or
.orty colonies, including a number OF /
queens. They are now In frst-ciass
condition, active and full of fight and /
'ager to be allowed to attack their 1
nemies
Or. Cook denies all the charges
made against the ants. They are in
ectivorous. he says, and will not hurt
he co.ton-and the Mexican boil wee
il Is their dearest foe.
The weeyil stands no show with the
kalep. The latter stings
he wceyil, producing paralysis, AMI
nen carries its victim to it's dwelling
ouse, where the weevil is torn TO
iccea or put in cold storage for the
inter Four ants to each stalk of
otton will keep it wholly free from
teevils SO effective has the warfare
t the kaiep proved that it has al.
aady completely destroyed .he weevil
Q We're Paz and other departments
sb,ch r. inhabie
Tbs sat, Weeell after practically
the cotton crop Of Mexico,
INVADED Texas on the north and Qua
amala on the suuih. 10 seesnd to
weep everything before it. until II
cached the country of the kaleps.
he latter have turned the tables on
! and are now pushing it liercely and
emorselensly.
AS for the argument presented by Ii
lr. Clark rhat i would render cotton
licking impossible by singing the ne
roes on their bare feet, Or. Cook calls
ttention to the fact that the Guare-
lalan natives never wear shoes, yet
ave never suffered from any stings
is admitted that there may be lin
atoms in the effective work of the I
alep. Il lives in a porous. sandy soil
kc that Of Texas, but it is by no 4,
.eans certain that II would find life ,
} agre able in the rich, but damp soil
the alluvial lands of the Mississippi,
here cotton reaches its highest Ge-
alopmCnt.
All these facts and arguments have a
IT convinced the anti-ant men. 4
ven If we admit, they say, that the A..
llep VIII do all that is expected of IT, !.
Id kill off the weevils. ON what is it
ling to feed after the wceyils are
The South Is already pretty well
errun with ants, which have latter :
increased in numbers, owing, pos
bly,. TO the destruction of insect-eat- -
z birds The ordinary American
It's, red and black. are themselves
.ec:ual as destroyers of other in
cts and indeed are known TO kin
ii weevils; but in spite of their good
ryice in this respect. they are recog-
zed as a nuisance and injurious to
@ farmer, and their nests are plowed