UNDERGROUND FARMERS

[Music] within the forests of Equatorial South America there exists a unique society that is indeed a wonderment to Behold a society composed of ants that live entirely from their Horticultural Pursuits great underground cabins are excavated by these tiny creatures as preparation for their Subterranean FS while certain workers are busily engaged in conveying Earth from within the nest other workers are dispatched into the jungle to forage for leaves the material upon which the ants establish their Gardens the leaf collecting individuals go forth in column formation many yards distant from their nest until a favorable tree is located on reaching that objective the leaf Cutters Ascend the trunk of the tree and disperse themselves to every available arriving at their various locations each ant selects a leaf with care the smaller ants choose the tender leaves and with instinctive Precision start laboriously to dissect a section there from while the larger workers May sever a complete Leaf by cutting through its stem the leaves that are cut are returned to the nest and placed within the huge cavities which have been previously excavated here they will undergo a ripening process and will ultimately be used as a planting ground upon which the ants cultivate a certain species of mushroom this Society of ants is remarkable for having developed Flex number of workers some to dig others to plant and care for the Underground Gardens and these with their especially formed sharp scissor-like mandibles or Jaws to serve them in flipping through the tough fibrous leaves when the leaves are at last severed the ants start Homeward with their comers and burdens every limb of the tree serves as a highway for these time workers returning to the ground with their weird looking umbrellas so numerous are the number of leaf cutting ants and so great their demand for leaves that large trees are completely defoliated in a single night strange indeed is the Ant World where there are no Superior bosses who issue orders and direct the other ants each individual instinctively knows all the orders of his race and strives to do his utmost for the continuance of his Society ants never sht work on becoming tired they may rest but only for a short time for they know their task and are soon busy again reaching the base of the tree the multitude of Burden bearers Gather in a column that swiftly moves along the trail to the ant City their number is increased by more Leaf Cutters who have been collecting blossoms and stems to supply the total necessary food requirements for their growing mushrooms how beautifully these ants have worked out the serious business of life how in the world did they ever develop the idea of farming this of course cannot be answered but is interesting to contemplate what a weird sight highways of liliputians burdened with leaves and stems loads 20 times their weight winding through the Tangled underbrush of the jungle on their Homeward March there is no limit to the quantity of leaves they may collect for the sight of their colony is a function of the mushrooms they are able to produce and they determine their population accordingly on approaching the nest there is great confusion as each ant rushes Into the Depths to dispose of its burden in the chambers below some 8 ft beneath the surface of the Earth is a compartment completely filled with a soft fluffy mushroom growth these Gardens are sometimes 2 or 3 ft in diameter and are cared for by another group of ants or cultivators who never leave the Subterranean Chambers the leaves that have been collected are now supporting a luxuriant growth of minute mushrooms which will serve as food food for the Growers the small cultivators are equipped to weed out foreign growths among the plants and to perform all the tasks associated with the raising of a food CFT the labor of the cultivators is guarded over by huge soldiers who do no work but on Whose ability to fight defends the safety of the colony from the attack of marauding ants this Society is composed of many different sized animals the giant Soldier is at least 50 times larger than the tiny cultivators in addition to the mushroom Garden supplying food they are also used as nurseries for the nurturing of The Unborn young small nurse ants feed and care for the coming generation a group of tiny nurses care for a young unborn queen that will someday fly into the world to start another Colony the peaceful Society of mushroom Growers may be contrasted by still another group of ants the Harvesters who gain their livelihood by collecting seed seeds in the forest which they store in their underground granaries for future use as food Harvesters are here obtaining their morning nectar by inv vibing from a suspended dew drop their seed collecting grounds are threatened with encroachment by an intruding group of ants and the Harvesters leave their nest to enter into combat with them but first apparently gathering for Council before their nest they actually seem to lay plans for their maneuvers then after an inaudible consultation they March off toward their distant objective which is guarded by a group of centries who seem to be unaware of the oncoming horde of Harvesters now moving through the jungle for the attack nearer and nearer the advancing columns approach when suddenly they are sighted by The sentries Who call out their reserves for battle the attackers Rush upon the enemy strong stronghold Mortal Combat with one or more of their assailants entirely devoid of fear and with the security of their home at stake they hurl themselves at the Harvesters their sharp Vice likee mandibles take hold of their enemies while they seek to find a vulnerable spot in which to thrust their stingers and inject the deadly formic acid poison which leaves the victims to a horrible death ant Wars are economic some species raid for Conquest to destroy their victims or to steal their eggs and raise the young as slaves to do their work but this war is to evict an intruder from what one group has claimed as their seed collecting ground and of course only the result will determine who is right for the mightiest will win this is a universal law of nature that the weak shall be destroyed by the strong the conquerors will thus establish their property rights but possessing all only Instinct would be forced to continue War to retain ownership in this battle the strength of the Harvesters is too great for the weaker nest of defenders in order to protect their home and Young The Defenders must sacrifice themselves at intervals between combats the courageous Defenders huge rocks and cast them over the entrance to their nest then Russia to conflict to fight to the very end more and more rocks and sand are cast Over the openings of their City thus cutting off their only means of escape this instinctive self-sacrifice on their part is unparalleled in animal behavior although in ant land the individual means nothing it is only the safety and Welfare of their society that matters and all activity is to this end the war continues for hours the individual Defenders who so bravely sacrificed themselves are finally killed although their homes are saved through their heroic action [Music]