MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE. MEDFORD. OREGON
WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER 12. 19S2
The Bee's Knees
A 3
West Learns Importance of Telling
Children About Birds and the Bees
PI
By DICK WEST
; Washington - (UP1I - My wife
pointed out the other evening
that one of our daughters is
rnearing the age when she
should be told
about' "the
birds and the
bees."
"Okay," I
said. "You
tell her about
the birds and
I'll tell her
about the
bees."
wet I had a rea
son for proposing this arrange
ment. That very day I had
been reading a report on bees
! prepared for the Smithsonian
Institution by James E. Ham-
bleton.
r I don't konw whether Ham
' leton has any children, but
he is a whiz when it comes to
bees. For the first time since
: I became a parent I feel qual
; ified to discuss this subject
; with my offspring.
So climb upon my knee,
dollink, and your wise old
father will give you the scoop.
: When wb think of the bee
: we ordinarily think of it
; in terms of honey and wax.
although some of ui may
think of it in terms of get-.
, ling slung.
; Actually, making honey
land wax and stinging people
is a relatively minor part of
a bee's job. What makes the
"bee important is his role in
'pollination.
Where pollination is con
cerned, he is the king bee.
It might even be said that he
is the bee's knees.
According to Hambleton,
there are about 50 crops in
this country that require in
sect pollination. Insect pollina
tion is necessary or desirable
for such vegetables as carrots,
onions, cabbage, cauliflower
and brusscl sprouts.
At one time, there were
enough native insects around
to take care of this. But farm
ing operations have greatly
expanded while the pollinat
ing insect population has de
clined. As things now shape up.
the bee is about all that
stands between some crops
and extinction. Bees get cre
dit for an estimated 80 per
cent of all pollination.
Or, it might be said they
are to blame for 80 per cent of
the pollinating, depending on
how you feel about brussel
sprouts.
At any rate, Hambleton
RETURNING REMAINS
Grado, Italy .'P1 Officials
said the remains of three
sailors recovered front a sub
marine sunk near here in
1917 will be returned to Aus
tria. The bodies were recover
ed from the World War I sub
marine on Monday
Pipemakers Fit Product With Lining
Louisville, Ky. - IUPD - Pipe-1 pipe, reports Tube Turns
makers have taken a page j Plastics, Inc. Company engi
from the clothing Industry's ' neers say this combination can
book and fitted their product j safely carry corroding acids
with a lining. Strength and j at as little as half the installed
corrosion resistance are com- cost of all - metal pipe neces
bined in plastic lined steel sary for such a job.
WEATHER MAN STUCK
Buffalo, N.Y. -A'PII- Barney
Wiggin telephoned the weath
er bureau here Tuesday to
sav he could not report to
Kansas City. Mo. - IUPD
A collection or reproductions
of the Bethlehem stable where
his job as chief weather fore-1 Christ was born, gatnereo
caster. Wiggin was snowed ; from 20 countries, will be dis
in at his ho e in East Aurora, ; played for the first time here
14 miles away. iduring the Christmas season.
Kansas City To Show World-Wide Display
The 170 nativity scenes,
owned by Alexander Girard,
noted authority on folk art,
will be displayed at the Wil
liam Rockhill Kelson gallery
to benefit the People
pie program.
to Peo-
REFUGEES FROLIC - These Cuban refugees are shown as
they enjoy their first sight of snow outside of their new
home in Port Huron, Mich. Mr. and Mrs. Ariel Quintela and
their four children who have been living in Miami for the
past five months, have been relocated in Port Huron. (UPI)
Small Worlds
Around Us
By LYNN M. WATKINS
(Rftqilter and Tribune
Syndicate 1962)
Surface Too Slick to Slither
So Snake Sits and Suffers
It seemed there was a
parallel between the old Chi
nese proverb "Even a trip of
a hundred miles must start
with a single step," and what
the rattlesnake was attempt
ing when we placed him on
estimates their contribution
to agriculture at more than
$500 million a year, not
counting what they bring in
by way of honey, wax and
insect bite lotions.
Until I read Hambleton's
report, I did not realize that
the bee was so valuable. I
can undersand now why it is
important to tell our children
about, them. 1 i . " ,
I just hope my wife does
as well with the birds.
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Open 6 Days 9 a.m. 7 p.m. Clotcd Sunday!
a large sheet of plate glass.
The snake couldn't even take
the first step. He couldn't
even get started, let alone
travel. The glass was just too
slick to slither on.
To understand some what
the predicament in which the
reptile . found himself, we
must remember that the rat
tlesnake can proceed forward
In a straight line. He doesn't
writhe and twist like most
snakes, but the surface over
which he crawls must have
at least some roughness, some
irregularities', for he moves
by moving his ribs; actually,
he "walks on his ribs."
Inside his skin the ribs
move forward, then they press
down against the skin forcing
It against the roughness of a
surface. Once the ribs are for
ward and pressing, they move
backward, propelling the
snake forward. When going
good the rib action is smooth,
rapid and rhythmic: a contin
uous flowing motion.
Getting Nowhere
On the plate glass, how
ever, the snake's "wheels
were spinning." He was
really running fast but he
wasn't progressing forward a
single inch. The very best
slithering he could accomplish
just wasn't good enough. The
glass was too slick; his ribs
could get no grip. He was
like a man in a racking chair:
he was getting plenty of
exercise but he wasn't getting
anywhere.
The snake lowered his head
and tried harder; inside his
body the ribs were moving
forward and back. He in
creased the tempo. His ribs
pressed harder against the
belly-skin but there was only
slipperiness underneath, no ir
regularities in the glass, no
contact point. He just couldn't
slither.
This rib-action must he ex
hausting work for inside of a
few minutes the snake gave
every indication of being
' "dog-tired"; he was loo ex-
, hausted to raise his head from
the glass. He rested.
A slight tap on the glas.
was felt by the nerves of his
undersides and it started him
I again but his rib action lacked
their old snap and Vigo, lie
i soon gave up and rested. All
! his most active slithering was
' reduced to uselessncss, like ft
boat tied to a dock with the
! motor running In forward
gear. The power had been nn,
the effort was made but the
principle of traction and the
smoothness of glass was a
condition over which he had
no control. His tiny reptilian
brain could only keep sending
orders to the ribs In move but
they were to tired to respond.
Another Predicament
After the snake had rested
a while his futile exerlions
a while from his futile exer
tions we plared him in the
middle of a Brussels carpet.
The soft long pile of the rug
placed the snake in the same
predicament he had been 1
while on the plale glass. He I
tried but it was hard and
discouraging work.
For the second time In his
life he was up against the un
known. He was as helpless on
the rug as he had been on the
glass. He could make nn head
way. The carpet received as
much "ribbing" as had the
other uncrawlable surface.
The rib pressure could not
reach down far enough in the
soft rug to make a solid con
tact. There was nn traction,
therefore nn forward prog-res'
i h-mii An
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