The Kendrick gazette., 1919-09-19

During the Winter and in the Spr
to the Corn Plants. Z
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agriculture.)
New wonders of nature continually
are opening to the home gardener who
watches carefully the evolution of the
creatures in his food plot. Even the
insects that attack his plants have
power to amaze. And no insects are
more interesting than the tiny plant
lice or aphids, which grow in a large
number of forms and suck the juices
from various kinds of plants.
The most remarkable thing about
some of the aphids is their partnership
with other insects. Many forms of the
aphids are fostered and protected from
the beginning to the end of their little
lives by the Industrious ants. The part
nership seems to have reached most
pefect form in the case of the corn
root aphids and the cornfield ant, and
it is usually found that where there
are aphids there are ants.
Operation Of Ant-Aphis Alliance.
The partnership of ant and aphis-
the cornfield ant and the corn-root
aphis operates in nearly every Sec
tion where corn is grown east of the
Rocky mountains, especially in some
of the corn belt states. The work
ings Of the partnership have been COM
pared to subterranean dairy, with
the aphis as the ants "cow," the ant
directing the enterprise, the aphis do
ing the work, and the ant getting the
profits. The ant is not directly harm
full to the corn, but the aphis Is. With
out the ant, however, the firm would
have to 60 out of business, and that is
why the United States department Of
agriculture tells farmers who want
to get rid of scorn-root aphis to get rid
Of the ant. The same advice applies
in the case of certain other forms of
root aphids. II
This is how the subterranean dairy
works: bE;.
In the fall the ants carry the eggs
Of the aphids to their nests and care
for them as they do for their own
young. In the spring, when the eggs
hatch. the ants tunnel along weed
rdpts and place the helpless aphids on
the roots. Soon the aphids begin to
give or "honeydew," made from the
t4ces OF the plants on which. the
aphids are resting. The ant dearly
loye 'rhoneydew," and they tenderly
watch over and care for their "c0ws. :"
Tpe aphids are wholly dependent
throughout their life on the ants.
Escaped Aphids Seized by Ants.
The, first two or three generations OF
aJhids live entirely on the roots of
w$ndA but as soon al the newly-plant-
ed corn sprouts the ants transfer the
alhids to the more succulent corn
Heo4A After two or three successive
generations, many Of the aphids may
be winged, and come escape from the
sound through the ant tunnels and
fly away to new field. II they chance
~ alight near an ant hill they are
sd1sed Immediately bg the watchful
an4B. carried into their burrows. placed
en roots, and honeydew production
STARTS again.
When cold weather is approaching
ana the ant carries the aphids' eggs
snal the young ants deeper into the
soil, the ant goes at least eight inches
uader the sun and eight inches Il
deeper than the ordinary paOw fur
row. e
The particular aphis that attacks
corn Is called the corn-roOt aphis be
cause of Its preference for that plant
IN gardens it II very common on as
tars and related plants. There are
many other varieties Of aphis, how
ever, and for many OF them ants have
q tender feeling. BUr instance. thers
are the aphids that attack orange
trees in California. The ants surround
these aphids, attack other insects tha
attempt to reach them, and Induce ttt
aphids to e1crete honeydew by strok
ing their bodies with their antennae
or feelers. Unfortunately for the on
ange aphids, however. they are at
tackled by winged parasites which
'tsting" and lay eggs in them, and thes'
parasites are 50 small and active tina
the ants cannot successfully defent
their charges.
How to Control Pests.
The corn-rOot aphids in fields is con
troIled by rotating with crops upol
which the aphids cannot live, by plow
ing and disking. thus breaking up tn
ant and aphis colonies, and by the us
of certain pungent substances, mixe'
with chemical fertilizer and distrib
uted by means Of fertilizer attach
ment to the corn planter. These sub
stances tend to drive away the ant
and prevent them from placing aphid
ON the corn roots.
f Aphids in Gardens.
The home gardeners whose plant
are attacked by aphids. such as tn