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

'~1 buhbOV ~ ihNlJ w thrive Al Va
n South, and offered samples Of II
\ Southern farmers. They planted /
l There can be no question about IL
thriving.
Mr. Clark who Is leading the iigh
against the Guatamnlan ant. IA one d
the men wao planted the bamboo.
grew so fast that he ami his nelghoor
became alarmed, as it threatened Il
cover the whole plantation. When h
tried to get rid Of it, he could no
until he built leyee around Thu
bamboo patch and kept ii saturated
with crude Beaumont OIL
Either the plant flourishes better ii
this country than In Japan, or TIM
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
Mr.. Clark says. but the South Is no.
prepared Just now TO abandon cotton
and all its other crops and conilne its
energies to basket making.
With these facts before them. the
Texas farmers and their friends have
not oniy flooded the department OF
agriculture at Washington with inquir,
les and protests, but also annoanc ed
their intention to fight the kaleD in
the courts 70 the last ditch. 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 ant and turn
| II loose at the United tSates govern
ment experiment station at Victoria,
Tex They say the ant would spread
TO all parts of the state, would become
SO numerous in time as 10 prove ~.
intolerable pest, would sting the labor
ers in the field, and then would render
1t impossible 10 pick cotton, ultimate
ly destroying the cotton crop and all
other vegetation.
The injunction has delayed the OBJ
ening of the kalep-weeYil war The
ants will spend some time 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 T
Vera Paz, Guatemala. The insect has
no scientific name, but is known 20 /
the natives or Indians as the kalep. I
1t is red and about twics the size. of {
an ordinary ant.
DR., Cook has some 5000 ants, or
forty colonies, including a number OF
queens. They are now in first-elass
condition, active and full of fight and
eager TO be allowed to attack their
enemies.
Dr. Cook denies all the charges
made against the ants. They are in.
sectiyorous, he says, and viii not hurt
the coston-and the Mexican boil wee
vii Is their dearest foe.
The weeyil stands no show with the
Guatemalan kalep. The latter stlngs
the weevil. producing paralysis, AMI
Lnen carries its victim to its dwelling
house, where the weeyil is torn to
)icces or put in cold storage fer tie
sinter Four ants TO each stalk of
cotton viii keep il wholly free from I
teeyils, So effective has the warfare ,
u the kalep proved that it has al
'eady completely destroyed he weevll ,
d Vera Paz and other department
which It inhahiM.
tbs aaii weeg!l after practically
destroying the cotton crop Of Mexico.
INVADED Texas on the north and Qua !
amala on the south. Il seaeaid 70 =.
weep everything before IT, until II ,
cached the country of the kaleps.
The latter have turned The tables on '
and are now pushing it liercely and .
emorse lessly. 1
AS for the argument presented by a
ir. Clark that i would render cotton A
licking impossible by singing the ne :
roes on their bare feet. Or. Cook calls :
ttenticn to the fact that the Guate- '
lalan natives never wear shoes. yet .
ave never suffered from any stings. '
Is admitted that there may be lin Y
atoms I'm the effective work of the q
alep. Il lives in a porous. sandy soil. p
Ike that of Texas. but It Is by no A
eans certain that il would find life '
agre sable in the rich, but damp soil .
the slluyial lands of the Mississippi. y
here cotton reaches its highest de- q
slopmcnt q
All these facts and arguments have a.
u convinced the anti-ant men. A
ven ii we admit. they say. that the
Hep VIII do all that is expected of It.
ID kill Of the weevils. ON what is 1t
ing to feed after the wcevils are -
haustcd2 ~-
The South is already pretty we'll a
errun with ants. which have latter -
increased in numbers, owing. pos
Ny, to the destruction of insect-eat- -
: birds. The ordinary American
Is, red and black. are themselves
ec;ual as destroyers Of other in.
rs. and indeed are known to kin
I weevils: but in spite Of their good
vice in this respect. they are recog-
ed as a nuisance and injurious 10
farmer and their nests are uio,rsd