Show ANTS DO LITTLE HARM ian an unusual number of corn com 1 plaints plaines have been received this I 1 year by the Depart department deparini ni ent of agriculture ri from persons who say that ants are injuring their lawns and gardens As a matter of fact these ants do little harmand harm and the injury that is attributed tri buted to them is usually caused by something else in large numbers however the small conical nests which they build on lawns are somewhat unsightly and on this account it may be desirable in some cases to destroy y them where there is only a small area to be covered the simplest method is to drench the nests with boiling water another simple remedy is to spray the lawn with kerosene emulsion or with a very strong soap wash vash prepared by dissolving any common laundry soap in water at the rate of 1 pound or 11 12 pound to ata gallon of water gatei such methods are particularly well adapted to small lawns and for the ordinary little lawn ant for larger ant colonies of other species of carbon a eh chemical which can be pur I 1 chased at any drug store will bs be found effective this substance can be placed in the nest by means of an oil can or small syringe the quantity required varying 12 ounce for a small anest to 2 or r 3 ounces or more fot for a large one an oil can with a long spout is a convenient instrument as it can be inserted into the nests and the liquid injected without its being brought close to the operators nose for the fumes of of carbon although not poisonous are aie nauseating to facilitate the entrance into the nest of the chemical the anathole an ant hole thole can be enlarged with a sharp stick or iron rod after the of carbon has been injected the opening should be closed by pressure of the foot in order to reta retain in the this will pleng pene slowly throughout the u un desgro und channels of the nest and kill hill all the inmates it is important to remember teat that while b sulphide is perfectly harmless if kept away from all fire it is very inal inflatable barnable and may under certain circumstances explode when ignited except for the unsightly appearance pe arance of their nests however the lawn ants do no appreciable herm they are frequently noted on roses and on other ornamental and garden plants and it is naturally supposed that they are doing harm to these As a matter of fact it is not the plants that attract the ants but plant lice these tiny creatures excrete a sweet liquid of which ants are very fond and which they collect without injury ing the plant lice for this reason plant lice are a re frequently termed ant cows the analogy is isem emphasized pha sized by the fact that ants have been known to take plant lice into their n nests e ats shelter them through the winter and return them to suitable plants in the spring very much as men are accustomed to feed and shelter cows throughout the winter putting them on pasture with the coming of the spring this is the only way in which ants can be said to injure plants they inter enter houses very rare rarely 1 y and on the whole may be said to do no harm of any kind except in so far as they lessen the attractive appearance of the lawn on the other hand band it is quite possible that by bringing up from the lower depths sand and abid earth they may distinctly increase fertility by forming a top dressing or soil mulch and at the same time permit better aeration of the earth |