AGRICULTURAL ANTS 



vesters and pioneers also. Perhaps they are detailed 

 to the nursery departments? That would be quite 

 humanlike ! 



Not the varied industries of agricultural ants in 

 general communal service, but those directly associated 

 with the harvesting habit, are those to which this 

 chapter is especially devoted. And there remains only 

 space to add that the last step in solving the query 

 with which we started was left for home demonstration. 

 A number of well-stocked artificial formicaries were 

 taken from Texas to Philadelphia, and there, under 

 constant observation, continued during many months, 

 it was shown that the ants use for food various seeds, 

 both oily and farinaceous, which they store in their 

 granaries, and other seeds like them. Further study 

 has disclosed that there are other harvesting species, 

 widely distributed throughout the United States. Of 

 these, special studies were made of the Florida Harvester, 

 Pogonomyrmex crudelis ; of a Pennsylvania ant, Pheidole 

 Pennsylvanica ; and the Occident ant, Pogonomyrmex 

 occidentalis, Cresson.* 



* The habits of the last-named species are described in my book, 

 The Honey and Occident Ants, now out of print. 



