The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1904-06-13
WILL WATCH THE ANT
SCIENTISTS WILL NOT INTRODUCE
ANOTHER PEST.
Senator Bailey's Letter to Secretary of
Agriculture and the Reply of Mr..
Wilson and EntOmOlOgist
Howard.
Advertiser Bureau,
Colorado Building,


Senator Bailey, before he left Wash
ington for Texas. interested by the re-
ports of a fierce anti-boll weevn ant
in Central America elected a CORE
spondence> which below explains itself.
Senator Bailey wrote to Secretary Will
son a letter containing the foil wing:
Il have observed during the last few
days (the letter being dated June ~ a
great deal said in the public prints
about an ant which your Department
is reported to have discovered in South
America, and which, in the opinion of
experts. is a certain destroyer of the
boil weevil. l need not tell you how
much l would rejoice at the discovery
of any means calculated to free the
South from that terrible cotton pest
but / trust that before your Depart
ment introduces the ant into Texas
you will see that your most competent
men have learned all about its habits
and characteristics, and have satisfied
themselves that we are not introducing
a pest which may be as bad as the cot
ton weevil.
80 far as we are now informed, the
boil weevil confines its injury to the
cotton crop, which is, of course, a most
serious loss to our people; but in your
efforts to save US from the ravages of
the cotton pest I hope we will not be
afflicted with a second one that may
destroy all other kinds of vegetation
Il do not really think 1t necessary
to write this letter to such an able
and careful public official as you have
proved yourself to be; but, at the same
time l feel that the interests involved
are SO great that my duty to my con-
stituents requires me to take even
what may seem an unnecessary precau-
ton. 1 feel assured that you will un-
derstand the spirit in which 1 have
written. I have the honor to be
Very truly yours.
y. w. Bailey
Responses to this letter came to SEN
ator Bailey promptly from both Score
tary Wilson and EntomoIogist Howard
Secretary Wilson's letter was as fol-
lows:
II have your favor AZ the 4th. with
regard to the. possibility of damage to
vegetation generally by the introduce
ton of the Guatema1an ant which at
tacks the boil weevil. This ant has
been in the cotton fields of Guatemala
for generations back. The Indians
grow cotton and have learned that they
cannot grow 1t without this particular
ant. When they move into any new
country, they take the ant with them
I'VE have samples of the creature on
the way now for experimentation and
observation and will study it during
the coming summer. and both Depart
ment scientists and the people OF Tex
as will have opportunity to conclude
with regard to its more extensive In
PRODUCTION. There are numerous spe-
cies of ants in Texas now that are hos
tile to the boil weevil but they are not
as expeditions as this Guatemalan
creature. which paralyzes them in an
instant by singing them.
I'VE have the eyes of all the De-
partment scientists on all sides of this
question and will take all pains and
precautions to conserve the interests
of the good people of Texas. will
ask DR.. Howard the entomologist, to
write you further in regard to the pos
sibility of danger from the introduce
ton of this ant.
Very glad to have heard from you,
and always pleased to hear at any
time"
DR., Howard. chief Of the bureau of
entomology. wrote to Senator Bailey as
follows:
The Honorable Secretary Of Agri-
culture. before leaving the city yester-
day morning received your letter of
the 4th instant, and dictated a reply.
He instructed me to read both your let
ter and his reply and to write you fur
Their II I deemed IL necessary.
AT the present time. all that we
know about the Guatemalan ant is con-
tanned in a single letter received from
Mr. Cook, OF the bureau of plant in
dustry, who is at present on his wav
to Texas with. presumably, colonies Of
the ants. Mr. Cook is an excellent
botanist and man also of entomo1oe-
ical attainments. I thing we can reIv
upon his judgment and care Should
the Secretary charge this Office with
the conduct of the experimental work
with these ants as I fully expect him
to do, you may rest assured that every
precaution will he taken to avoid the
establishment in Texas of an undesir-
able species Such preparations will
be made in advance that 1t will be pos
sible to study them without the slight
est chance that they will escape"