1880.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



permission before he shoots. All reputable 

 sportsmen would prefer this course, and a 

 farmer can readily satisfy liim.self as to an 

 applicant's rcspoctability. 



The past stiason has shown that not all the 

 regular shooting, nor all Ihcir regular and 

 unseasonable destruction, can so reduce as to 

 prejudice a well-stocked locality. And all 

 exiicrience has .sliown that certain forms of 

 severe winters arc the great exterminators. 

 So, if a few pairs of birds for each farm are 

 lioused in advance of winter, the problem of 

 the continuance of the (juail stock is solved; 

 and a few pairs nfcpiails will almost invaria- 

 bly increase and multiply more than a few 

 bevies, because of the "packini;" or keeping 

 together tendency of bevies, which is simply 

 nature's law to inevent too rapid increase. 

 If the suggestions we make are fairly applied, 

 the stock of this fine game bird can be kept 

 up to any desired point; the farmer can get 

 whatever benefit they are to him as insect 

 destroyers during the insect season, and the 

 hunter can get his sport through the hunting 

 season. — Eaglon Express. 



ARE ANTS CIVILIZED ? 



The October ninnber of the Quartirli/ Jour- 

 nal rif isdence contains an article on '"Our 

 Six-footed Rivals," the ants, which may well 

 cause us to believe that we are not the only 

 rational and civilized beings on this globe. 



Let us suppose that v^'e were suddenly in- 

 formed, on good authority, that there existed 

 a race of beings who lived in domed habita- 

 tions, aggregated together so as form vast and 

 populous cities, that they exercised jurisdic- 

 tion over the adjoining territory, laid out 

 i-egular roads, executed tunnels underneath 

 the beds of rivers, stationed guards at the 

 entrance of their towns, carefully removed 

 any offensive matter, maintained a rural 

 police, organized extensive buuting expedi- 

 tions, at times even waged war upon neigh- 

 boring communities, took prisoners and re- 

 duced them to a state of slavery ; that they 

 not merely stored up provisions with due care 

 but that they kept cattle and even cultivated 

 the soil and gathered in the harvest. We 

 sliould unciuestionably regard these creatures 

 as human beings wiio had made no small 

 progress in civilization, and should ascribe 

 their actions to reason. 



Among the hi/menoptera the lead is un- 

 doubtedly taken by the ants, which, like man, 

 have a brain much more highly developed 

 than that of the neighboring infciior groups. 

 Perhaps the most elevated of the fohnicide 

 family is the agricultural ant of western 

 Texas. This species is, save man, the only 

 creature which does not depend for its suste- 

 nance on the products of tlie chase or the 

 spontaneous fruits of the earth. A colon}' of 

 * these ants will clear a tract of ground, some 

 four feet in width, around their city, and re- 

 move all plants, stone and rubbisli. A species 

 of minute grain, resembling rice, is sown 

 therein and the field is carefully tended, kept 

 free from weeds, and guarded against ma- 

 rauding insects. When mature, the crop is« 

 reaped and the seeds dried and carried into 

 the nest. If this is done near a large city the 

 latter regard it as an intrusion, and a fierce 

 warfare results, which ends in the total de- 

 struction of one or the other side. The queens 

 arc treated with great attention and installed 

 in royal apartments. 



The ant government is communi.stic. In a 

 formicary there is no trace of priviite proper- 

 ty ; the territory, the buildings, the stores, 

 the booty, exist e(iually for the benefit of all. 

 The family among them .scarcely exists. 

 Rarely is the union of the male and female 

 extended beyond the actual intercourse, all 

 provision for the future young devolving ni)on 

 the latter alone, the former being speedily 

 killed, as he is no longer of any use. The 

 females are the larger, stronger, and more 

 long lived. The wor'Kers and fighters are 

 sexless ; to them belong the government of 

 the ant-hill, and they provide for its enlarge- 

 ment, well being, and defense. 



Ants are sometimes very stupid in regard 



to small things, Init in many instances they 

 display remarkable sagacity. Mr. Belt, in his 

 "Naturalist in Nicaragua," tells of a column 

 of ants who were crossing a watercourse by 

 a small branch not thicker than a goose quill. 

 Xliey widened this naiural l)ridge to three 

 times its width by a number of ants clinging 

 to it and to eacii other on each side, over 

 which the column passed four deep, thus 

 effecting a great saving of time. Again, the 

 cfilon Icdionis, when attacking the hill of 

 another species, digs mines and passes the 

 pellets of earth from ant to ant until placed 

 at a sulVu'ient distance outside to prevent its 

 rolling back into tlu' hole. Their errors and 

 stuiiidily are not more conspicuou.s, however, 

 than among the human beings. 



Tlu'se tiny creatures have a language by 

 which they can imi)art to each other informa- 

 tion of a very definite character, and not 

 merely general signals, such as those of alarm. 

 It has been founcl that ants fetched by a mes- 

 senger seem, when they arrive at the .spot, 

 to have some knowledge of the task whicli is 

 awaiting them. Their principal organs of 

 speech are doubtless the antenna^ ; with 

 these, when seeking to comminiicate intelli- 

 gence, they touch eaeh other in a variety of 

 ways. There is a possibility that they may 

 ^Jiave a language of odors, for the various 

 scents given off by them are easilv percepti- 

 ble. Under the infiucnces of anger it becomes 

 very intense. In battles how, save by scent, 

 can they distinguish friend from foe V After 

 a lapse of .several months a former companion 

 will be received kindly into the nest, but a 

 stranger is killed. 



More wonderful than their intelligence is 

 their organization. If separate they would 

 be helpless and probably soon become extinct. 

 Mr. Helt observed a marching column of 

 crilons in the primeval forests of Nicaragua. 

 A dense body of ants, four yards wide, moved 

 rapidly in one direction, examining every 

 cranny and fallen leaf. At intervals larger 

 and lighter colored individuals would often 

 stop nnd run a little Ijackward, apparently 

 giving orders. On the flanks and in advance 

 of tlie main body, smaller columns would 

 push out, which " pursued the cockroaches, 

 grasshoppers and spiders in the neighborhood. 

 A gra.ssliopper seeking to escape would often 

 leap into the midst of the ants. After a few 

 ineffectual jumps, with ants clinging to its 

 body, it would soon be torn to pieces. Spiders 

 and bugs which climbed to the tops of trees 

 were folU)wed and shared a like fate. In 

 Nicaragua the vegetarian ants eat up trees 

 and carry otf the leaves to use as a manure, 

 in which grows a minute species of fungus, 

 on which they feed. They evince a mutual 

 sympathy and helpfulness, which can be 

 traced in man alone. Mr. IJelt placed a little 

 stone on one to secure it. The next ant that 

 ai>proachcd ran back in an agitated manner 

 and communicated the intelligence to others. 

 They rushed to the rescue ; .some bit at the 

 stone, and tried to move it, others seized the 

 prisoner by the legs and pulled. They perse- 

 vered until they got the captive free. 



In Australia they have been known to bury 

 their dead with some degree of formality. 

 The Texan ant removes any offensive matter 

 l)laced near its city and carries it away. 

 Ants who refuse to work are put to death. 

 Prisoners are In-onght in by a fellow-citizen, 

 handed over in a very rough manner to the 

 guards, who carry off the offenders into the 

 underground passages. The slave-making 

 propeiisity and the reliance upon slaves occur 

 in several species, but not to the same degree. 

 The jiolyergus rufcsrcns is absolutely depen- 

 dent on its slaves, and would rather die than 

 work. Eormica mwjuineu, on the other hand, 

 has much fewer slaves, being it.self capable of 

 working as well as fighting. No less varia- 

 tion may be traced in the habits of the cattle- 

 keeping ants. Of the honey-secreting apliuhs 

 and coiTi that serve them as milch kine, some 

 have large herds, whilst others have none at 

 all, and if they encounter an njiliia straight- 

 way kill and eat it. These apliides arc ex- 

 tremely destructive to fruits and trees, as 



they live by sucking the sap. The ants watch 

 them with wonderful care, and defend them 

 from all enemies. 



Instances of .sjigacity and design might be 

 easily multiplied. Careful observation has 

 shown that the ants arc evoluting as fast as 

 their short terms of life will permit them. 

 They are becoming more wise and more 

 civilized yearly. Each century marks an 

 advanc(\ Who knows but that perhaps in 

 the dim future they may a.sBert rights which 

 human beings shall be bound to respect?— 

 Scicnti/ic Amcrim n . 



THE PROFIT OF FARMING. 



The Maine Funitcr thinks there is, or ought 

 to he, more profit in farming tliaii people sup- 

 pose. In a recent issue it says : "The ques- 

 tion is repeatedly asked by those interested in 

 farming, as well as by farmers themselves: 

 'Why cannot our fanners, who own the land 

 they occupy, and in most cases have the same 

 well stocked and well supplied with iinple- 

 inents and machines, make fanning pay ?' 

 And this is the question before the meeting — 

 the readers of tiar Fanner being assembled in 

 convention. Why not ? is asked again. 

 Throughout Knglimd and .Scotland farmers 

 pay from eleven dollars to thirty-live dol- 

 lars an acre rental, yearly," for the land used 

 for ordinary agricultural crops and agricultu- 

 ral purpose ; yi'i tUey live like |)rinces, have 

 ])lcnty of lei.sure, keep good teams, read the 

 pai>ers, and make money. AVhy not make 

 money here where there are no land rents, as 

 such, to pay, and where fanners own the land 

 in feesiini)ie ':* Throughout Holland, wet land 

 is reclaimed for agricultural purposes at a cost 

 per acre greater than our land is worth, and 

 yet the work of reclaiming goes on, and it is 

 trom these reclaimed lands that Holland de- 

 rives its great wealth and prosperity. The 

 cost of draining the Zuyder Zee, now under 

 contemplation, is estimated at $l.">it per acre, 

 and yet the land will pay for farming pur- 

 poses after Ibis great expense is pn( uiioii il. 

 Why will not farming pay in Maine, where 

 farmers own the land, and can bring it to a 

 high state of culture at a comparatively small 

 cost ? It will. 



And yet it is well known that the Ameri- 

 can farmer is rarely on a level with the Eng- 

 lish or Scotch farmer, and this is as true of 

 the farmers of the United States as of Maine. 

 As a general rule the English or Scotch 

 farmer does little on his farm, but keeps books 

 and rides round his ground superintending 

 operations. His chief business is tending 

 market and selling his crops. This usually 

 receives his personal attention. All the 

 manual labor, or nearly all,, is done by hired 

 hands. If an American farmer were to work 

 in this way he would soon have a friendly 

 call fiom the .Sheriff. There must he more jit 

 the bottom than the Maine Farmer perceives. 



THE SCIENCE OF AGRICULTURE. 



The meeting held in \ew York recently 

 for the purpose of reorganizing the Ameri- 

 can Agricultural Association elected Hon. 

 -John Merrynian, of Baltimore county, presi- 

 dent. Mr. Merrynian was chosen unanimous- 

 ly, at the suggestion of a gentleman who had 

 previously nominated Hon. George 15. Loriiig, 

 of Ma.ssachusetts. Jlr. Merrynian has long 

 been known as one of the most enterprising 

 and progressive farmers in Maryland, as well 

 as an instructive writer on agricultural topics. 

 In accepting the position be took occasion to 

 call attention to the Smithficld and Hirming- 

 liam (England) Fat Stock Exhibitions, which 

 are held respectively in the first and .second 

 weeks in De'cmber! The latter has, in addi- 

 tion, a poultry and bird show, conducted 

 under the auspices of the club, a feature 

 which the president recommendeil .should be 

 adopted by the association. He thought that 

 an exhibition combining the.se features, to 1)6 

 held in New York, sav in the .second week in 

 December, coulil be made the greatest show 

 of the kind ever held. The as.sociation re- 

 ferred the president's address to the executive 

 committee of the board of directors. Letters 



