The enterprise-recorder. (Madison, Fla.) 1908-1933, 1908-07-23
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: WASPS---THE ORIGINAL +:
3 PAPER-MAkERS. {


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or course, the writer knew that
wasps are the original paper-makers.
and long since pointed the way to the
use of wood-pulp for that paper
making which has so immensely In
creased in later years and is threatens
ing much of the literature OF this
era with early extinction. But from
what particular objects was the pulp
gathered?
Now came a rare surprise. A few
feet beyond the old tree stood a chest
nut telephone pole. While passing It
one day a hornet was seen to allght
upon Il. Eureka!-the mystery was
solved. For straightway the insect
began seraping OF the surface with
its Jaws Settling well upon the post.
It fastened its open mandibles into Il.
drew them together, thus removing a
particle of fibre, and backed down a
little way. This act was repeated un-
IN 1t had covered space about three
fourths OF an inch long. and one-slx-
teenth wide, Just the stretch OF the
hornets jaws Meanwhile a tiny pei
let Of wood-dust had been gathered
and rolled and pushed beneath the
mouth; whereupon Vespa few away.
In fact. her method of gathering
building material was Just the reverse
OF that used when giving il out In
construction.
Now the post was carefully inspect
ed, and II was found to be notified on
all sides and to the top, about eighteen
feet, with streaks like that which the
hornet had Just left. the fresh marks
upon the abraded wood showing dis
tinctly against the weathered surface.
The streaks were not all of equal
length; for. as It afterwards appeared.
the pulp-gatherers seemed somewhat
fastidious In their selections, and
would shift their positions several
times. Sometimes, also, the scar al
ready made would be continued by
the same or another worker; and
often 1t would be overlaid. But, as
a rule, the space which measured the
amount of fibre removed at one visit
to the pole correspondent with the
amount Of pulp laid on at one time by
the builders on the nest; and that in
both cases was determined apparently
by the carrying capacity Of the jaws.
The visits varied in length. Thus, OF
three noted, one was four minutes,
with seven shifts; one, tTo minutes;
ard one, three MINUTES, ming seconds,
Wishing u ct scnie idea Of try
number OF visits made by the insect
pulp-gatherers. / counted carefully
the scars within several square inches
of surface, and therefrom estimated
the number within a square inca
around the entire girth of the pole.
Thence 1 roughly calculated that at
least 10000 visits had been made for
wood-fbre Some Of these were made
by yellow-jackets and brown wasps.
but most of them from hornets by
the study nest, as could be deter
mined by the direction Of the insecss'
flight One must also consider that
in many cases the scraped surface
had been gone over more than onee,s
so that the estimate is probably below
rather than above that mentioned.
There we're several similar poles In
the vicinity, all more or less thus
marked, the one nearest to the above
quite as freely. Even from this in
adequate estimate one can see the
enormous industry Of our colony
DR.. H. C. Mccook, in Harper's Mag
azine.