Ants in Vineyards. 



131 



dr}^ the poor, defenceless vintner ; and 

 it is in this union of brandy and water 

 where lie the difliculties which beset his 

 path in his laudable attempts to arrest 

 the ravages of the Total Abstinence 

 borer. 



But here we have a chance for a bit of 

 philosophical reflection : Verily the mys- 

 terious arrangements of nature should 

 ever excite our wonder and admiration ; 

 the same bar over which flows the spir- 

 ited springs that alleviate the indomi- 

 table thirst of the Politician borer fur- 

 nishes also the food for its coudemner 

 and hater, the Abstinence borer. Allah 

 is great ! but in borers there are no 

 profits. 



These borers are common in our fruit- 

 ful Union, and their presence may be 

 detected by the gab, or saw-dust which 

 they throw out in abundant quantities 

 in the eyes of their innocent victims, or 

 in the fact that the heads of those who 

 cave under their attacks, soon show 

 signs of being cracked, as bad as the 

 bark of trees under similar treatment. 

 Unlike the vegetable borers, pruning 

 them out with a kiiife would no doubt 

 prove dangeious ; scolding water might 

 be too radical a cure ; rubbing or throw- 

 ing soft or hard soap on or about them 



seldom does good ; even common sense 

 powder is no preventive. 



The one thing peculiar — though not 

 remarkable — about these borers, is that 

 they move, like troops, with elected 

 officers. It is asserted, and no doubt 

 often proves true, that nothing short of 

 some fat juicy office can arrest the on- 

 ward attacks of the leaders : this is the 

 only kind of soft-soap remedy which 

 may prove effectual, but it must be ap- 

 plied plentifully and most vigorously. 

 Shutting them up in wine-cellars some- 

 times proves efficient, but the remedy 

 is said to be most ruinous. It is to be 

 hoped that the great and iDouderous 

 minds now assembled in convention in 

 Springfield, to doctor the sores of a 

 diseased constitution, may not find it 

 out of their way to invent — they pos- 

 sess enough genius — or recommend 

 some remedy which may prove a pallia- 

 tive, if not a cui-e, for these abominable 

 borers. Should nothing happen to 

 remedy their increase, I know of no 

 really effective remedy except leaving 

 the business. Vineyardists will take 

 due notice thereof, and govern them- 

 selves accordingly, as they best please. 



N. TOH. O'LOGY. 



Golden Hill? Vixf.vaud, March otli, 1870. 



ANTS IN VINEYARDS. 



PoKTLAXD, Callaway To. , >[o . Marcli 15, 1870. 



Editor Grape (Julturist : 



Dear Sir : In reply to F. Hilde- 

 brand's request for information con- 

 cerning "Yellow Ants," I would say 

 that they breed in decaying wood, 

 sods, under rocks, etc., — that he can 

 find them now possibly in his stakes 

 or trellis posts in great numbers. 



They can be detected before appear- 

 ing above ground, by streaks of mud 

 or sand, which they deposited on the 

 surface of the stakes last summer, and 

 under which they ascend. I have 

 found them in stakes 18 inches below 

 the surface, and have taken up such 

 as were ^'■inhabited" by the scamps. 

 Last 3'ear I destroyed most of them 



