118 ANTS AND CHILDREN OF THE GARDEN 



fasten it, and then went on to the seed field. Now, what 

 do you think of that? 



KENNETH. The harvest field at the end of the trail 

 was about three feet square this evening. As soon as an 

 ant could find a seed it would straighten up, pause a 

 moment, and then start the right direction for home. How 

 did it know which way home was? 



ANT. I told you we are guided by the direction of light 

 and by the trail odor more than anything else. 



KENNETH. I took a seed away from an ant and put 

 her back on the trail. After searching a while, she went 

 three feet toward home and then turned and went back to 

 the harvest field. 



CECIL. Florence cracked sixteen muskmelon seed for 

 you. How long will they last your ants? I believe I can 

 eat my weight in a month. 



ANT. Oh, say a thousand days for one ant, or one day 

 for a thousand ants. 



FLORENCE. No wonder you have to hustle to get 

 enough food for your family, is it? 



KENNETH. How do you keep seeds from sprouting 

 when you take them under ground? Man doesn't know 

 how. 



ANT. You'll find that we fail sometimes. 



FLORENCE. Why do you carry out some of your seed 

 without hulling it? 



ANT. You know it may be spoiled, or impossible for us 

 to hull it, or it may be a mistake. 



CECIL. Tell us how you treat your grain. 



ANT. First, we generally pile up the grain as we bring 

 it in and leave it to go through a sweat. 



FLORENCE. And what's a "sweat"? 



ANT. As long as grain lies out it keeps some moisture 



