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HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Herald, 1957-06-20, Page 7Busy Bees Don't Work Too Hard We didn't see a bee all day, for a high wind came up while Allen Woodrow was driving me to his field laboratory in the desert south of Tucson. The hives set out by his feeding ,stations. among the cacti and scrub mes- quites could have been empty, for all the apian life visible. "Farmers I know about," I said, "when weather keeps them inside they catch up on their barn chores and maybe sharpen their hoes or plow disks. But what do outside worker bees do when wind -bound?" "Sharpen their stingers, may- be," Allen grinned. Even I knew better than that, and he went on to explain that the busy bee isn't nearly so in- dustrious as popular legend has it. Even on a calm and sunny day, workers supposed to be out collecting nector or pollen do much loafing within the hive. "The exact reason is one of a million things we don't know about bees," admitted,,Allen, one of the six apiarists on the staff of the Department of Agricul- ture's beekeeping and insect - pathology laboratory on the Uni- versity of Arizona campus, His own assignment is to study bee behavior, and some of his findings are fascinating, even if he does discount their • import- ance. An immediate aim is to find bee repellents and attractants. He has set up feeding stations from which the workers may carry away sugar syrup flavored with various substances. His. work is slowed in a season like the present spring, when native flowers are unusually plentiful. Bees prefer natural nectar to anything man can offer. Not one reliable repellent has turned up that would keep bees away from public places such as swimming pools, or enable the beekeeper to discard his custom- ary mask, gloves and smoker. Anise flavor delights bees, but this was no surprise because anise has long been used by bee- tree hunters who gather wild honey in the southern states: Lemon, orange, vanilla, winter- green, and many others are ig- nored. The search is far from hopeless, however. It is certain that blossoms vary greatly in attractiveness and not always be- cause of their nectar or pollen. JUST IN CASE — Taking no chances is Mrs. William H. Sanders, as she feeds one of the eight baby skunks her 16r year-old son brought home from a camping, trip. The tiny bottle is fine for nursing the or- phans, who, so far at least, have minded their manners. Mr, Woodrow has observed bees crawl in and out of white clover and snowberry blooms for hours after anything remained to harvest. "They particularly like certain flowers and if we knew why we'd be much further along." The higher the sucrose concen- tration in, syrup the better bees like -it, up to 50 per cent. Above that they like it less, and they will turn' away from an. 80 per cent. solution, `They stop work- ing when the outdoor temper- ature reaches 104 degrees, retire to the hive where in some strange .fashion the colony main- tains a temperature that averages close to 93 degrees, winter or summer. Although he has spent halt a lifetime around bees, and has read almost every modern book about them that is printed in English, Allen Woodrow can an- swer few questions about what goes on within the hive, writes Ernest Douglas in The Christian Science Monitor. Some bees fly around search- ing for more flowers or for more desirable kinds. Are they the restless ones who just prefer to roam, or are they assigned in some way? Who decides that some• shall gather pollen, others nectar? The scouts communicate their news by doing a dance in the hive that is readily interpreted by the collectors. Sometimes, however, the scouts are com- pletely ignored even though it would be to the advantage of the colony to follow their advice. Why? Apiarist in charge of the bee- keeping laboratory, largest of seven in the Agricultural Re- search Administration, is Frank E. Todd. Although much of his time is taken up with adminis- trative duties and teaching a 55 - student University of Arizona class in beekeeping, he manages to carry on much research. Among his many achievements before coining to Arizona was to help prove that bees tremendous- ly increase alfalfa seed yields, a discovery that has been worth millions of dollars to farmers. In Arizona Mr. Todd and S. E. McGregor proved that bees in the cantaloupe field at blossom- ing time will double the yield of salable melons and reduce misshapen culls to almost noth- ing for the imperfect ones have developed from flowers not com- pletely fertilized. Messrs. Todd and McGregor say they are sure that "bees would do the same for watermelons, cucumbers, strawberries, and many another garden crop. Mr. McGregor, since 1951, has concentrated on cotton hybrid- ization, a field where opportun- ities are great but obstacles tre- mendous. Bees scorn cotton pol- len, and production of hybrid seed without them is too costly; neearly every cotton blossom is fertilized with its own pollen. In experiments, where bees were confined and forced to work on cotton blooms, long -staple yields have been increased 25 per cent. Mr. McGregor believes that short -staple yields can be raised from two to three bales an acre to six or seven, as soon as plant breeders develop a variety with acceptable pollen. Larvae cannot develop without pollen, which is not stored like honey for ,winter use. So every colony is weak in early spring, when pollinators are most need- ed in fields and orchards. SO Dr. L. N. Standifer, also of the laboratory staff, is trying to put together a pollen substitute with the help of Dr. A. R. Kemmerer, University of Arizona biochemist who is conducting involved re- search into the nutritional value of honey. "Now, Junior, he a good boy and say `Ah -h -h,' so the doctor can get his finger out of your mouth.", _._._ --_ a t'ableland 31 Place of wor- . 9 Old Testament shin (ab.) 24 lllatibornte• dis- 10 Uncooked course 11 Beverage 37 Claw 14 At no time 39 Come out 15 Make happy 42 Meaning ACROSS DOWN 21 Young eel 44 One against 1 Cure 1 Belonging to 23 Park in the 46 Tighten her Rockies 47 Faithful 6 Moved In water 26 Perceives 49 Ovule • s 9 Spelt tct 26 Ancient slave 49 Poultry 12 Norwegian 4 Most recent 27 Bur. mining Product saga 6 Freshet district 60 Before 6 Pale 28 Small case 52 Native metal 7 Short melody 29 Rirelg' hones 53 Tlsist CROSSWORD PUZZLE 9 Danish money A Of father or mother 16 Unbridled out- break 6 Aromatic herb 1 You and 1 8 Thoroughfare 0 hoof edge 22 Frozen rain 4 Otherwise 7 Heroine of "The Flying Dutchman" 10 Perishes from hunger 12 Dined 13 sum 19 it6ven (contr.) 16 Severe 99 Concise 4(1 Miss Hayworth 41 Province In Brit. India 43 Narrow board 1513und o 49 )electrical engineer (ab.) I<i Vegetable 513 Scarce Iii Those who convey lands Si Adhesive sub- 9tanad' 57 aewel 'Ile Arrow poi eon 9, Aurtneu teed I 2 3 1 ^k';5 6 7 8`v;,�Y9 10 12 14 18 19 ,• w� a• w 'hr4t •r 4422. 23 �'.tiil24 25 20' 17 28 29 :n ;r 30 31 ,w,±. 55 34 35- 30 37 :iff' 38 39 40 • 1 4z '*413 .. , 4$ 4G 47 8 49 50 51 59 51 55 :. Answer elsewhere on this page. CALL OF THE WILD MUST if FADING — Foraging in their native habitats apparently has less • appeal for these young animals than being fed in the cuddling arms of fair young ladies. At left a two -month-old bear cub, "Spring;' gets along swimmingly with mermaid . Betty Pat- ton. Her group of water stars have adopted +he offspring of a Florida brown bear. In the center Marcheta McLain bottle-feeds a baby skunk she found with two others in her father's barn. The cute creature hasn't yet used his natural equipment an his benefactress. A young • wallaby on the .right nibblesfrorn a spoon held by an attendant at the Whipsnade Zoo in England. It's a small member of the kangaroo species. £PMM FRONT ohu �• Farmers in Canada and the United States aren't the on1y . ones having their difficulties, ae-'? cording to this dispatch by Peter', Lyne, Correspondent of The:; Christian Science Monitor. * * 4' Britain's cows and chickens; are causing a great deal of em-+' barrassment by their new en- thusiasm for increased produc tivity. The cows are providing 'so•.,; much surplus milk that the au thorities are dumping mullions, of gallons of unwanted skim; milk in disused quarries, on;, open spaces such as airfields, and down the drains. * * * As to the biddies they are being positively tactless. Just`'. when Queen Elizabeth II • and' the Duke of Edinburgh are;;,:; visiting Denmark this week ori a good -will tour, the chicke go and lay so many eggs 1e the Danes, who are traditiona suppliers of eggs to Britain, are growing concerned. * * * But bless their hearts, the:,. chickens can hardly be expectedly;;' to feel much sympathy for the international complications caus- ed by their enthusiasm, Succes sive British governments have been setting higher targets for, home food production and pay— ing higher support prices as an. inducement. .. * * During World War II and for- a time afterward Britons were, rationed to one or two eggs a4 • week each. Probably to a hen's; way of thinking, the folk here have some leeway to catch up., Britons have been accustomed: to reading about American farm surpluses and how those sur-; pluses have to be stored away'. or given as aid to foreigners. The big surprise is to find Brit -i ain in something of the same sort of boat considering that this;. country by tradition is one of the world's biggest importers of food. * Before World War II Britain- '' grew only about half its food requirements. Change is often slow in agriculture. But today' the revolution in greater effi ciency is really under way. Bet-' ter breeding policies and better. feeding methods and pasture management have sent average milk yields up from 550 gallons:'-. a year to around 700 gallons. Electric fencing methods are Increasingly being used to en- able cattle to eat feeding stuffs where they are grown instead of. hauling the food to the cows. In this and in countless other ways time is being saved on farms and productivity raised. Some farm economists calcu- late that at the present rate Britain could soon become 90 per cent self-sufficient in food instead of two-thirds self-suffi- cient as of today. But this would have a revolutionary effect on the traditional British economic pattern. How would the Danes pay for British bicycles if they didn't sell their butter, eggs, and bacon to Britain? Australia and New Zealand have long been among the top • customers for •Britain's industri- al production, but only because the British have been the best customers for Australian and New Zealand butter, cheese, meat, wool, and other farm products. a q: * The 19th century way to meet the present situation of food surpluses was "survival of the fittest." The less efficient farm- ers would have been allowed to go broke. •But in these days when farm production has been pushed up and kept up by large- scale government inducements and support prices, the idea of just withdrawing the support is not politically practical or mor- ally tolerated. * * * Agricultural slumps are likely to set off industrial slumps. Be- sides, at the back of the minds of British governments is the realization. of two things: 1. From a defense point of view, British agriculture cannot be allowed to slip into the dol- drums. 2. World population and food needs are rising so rapidly that the day may come when Britain •'-ould have to join the end of a ueue for imported food. So the Minister of Agriculture, Derick Heathcoat Amory, was urging the House of Commons May 20 not to panic about the flood of milk and the weight of eggs. He said that at present the surpluses were largely seasonal. He urged people to consume more milk and eggs. He pointed to Americans, who, he said, eat 50 per cent more eggs per head than Britons. Upsidedown to Prevent Peeking a3 3n 3 Z11 REMO `• 3V; '''vV,171E2F NIP& V;t,I Vis' ENE 1110211Kii111118 1011111011E2 7,7:211:2E_H,:,431P2P, 1©]Llf�[2N VJ13?1bd 1i 21O VMS Gas Drive There's feverish behind -the - scenes activity these days as the biggest natural gas exploration drive in Ontario's history gets under way, The hot search is under the waters of Lake Erie. The rush of applications flooding into the Ontario Government since last January seeking underwater ex- ploration permits now blanket virtually the entire north shore of the lake from the Detroit River right up to the Niagara River. Close to 1.5 million acres are involved. The applications are seeking acreage extending from a mini- mum of two miles from shore to 17 miles offshore. Part of the acreage in front of Essex coun- ty runs out to the international boundary. Plans at the moment are to drill some 50 offshore wells this season. A lot will depend on availability of special, offshore drillings rigs. Half a dozen more rigs are now being rushed to completion with as many more in the later planning stages. uLFSSON�" ° By Rev. R. Barclay Warren B.A., B,D. Joseph, a Favorite Son Genesis 31:3-8, 23-24, 28, 31-34 Memory Selection: Be ye kind one tt another, tender-hearted., forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath for- given you. Ephesians 4:32., In boyhood we read many good books for boys. Some of the Alger stories are still vivid in memory. But the story of Joseph surpasses them all. Jos- eph was the favored son of Ja- cob's favorite wife, Rachel It wasn't Joseph's fault that his father loved him more than alt his children. But God used even this in the moulding of Joseph. We are not suggesting that it was proper for Jacob to show such favortism but we do be- lieve that God in his sovereignty can overrule all things to ac- complish his purpose. The hatred of his brethren tended to make Joseph an individualist. He dirt not run into evil with his breth- ren but instead brought to his father their evil report. Joseph has been criticized for telling his dreams which seemed. to place him in a commanding position. But he could hardly do otherwise. They must have been very real to him. They were a symbol of his emerging greatness. At the age of 17 Joseph was prompt in his obedience to his father. He was persistent, a quality essential in great accom- plishments. When his brothers were not to be found at She - chem as expected he kept seek- ing till he found them. To be sold into slavery by one's brethren would break the spirit of most people and embitter them forever against society. But not so with Joseph as we shall see in the next two lessons. Today's lesson closes with Jacob's great mourning as he gazed on Joseph's bloody coat and believed him to have been slain by a beast. Years before, Jacob had slain a kid of the goats in preparing to deceive his father. Now his sons deceive him. Isaac was under the de- ception for a few hours; Jacob for 22 years. "Be sure your silo will find you out." BIG BUSINESS NOW—Disneyland, Walt Disney's famous play- ground for youngsters of all ages, has become big business now. Nearly four million visitors spent 10 million dollars there last year. As it starts the 1957 season Disneyland expects to entertain a half million more than last year. Visitors enter over a real drawbridge, through Sleeping Beauty's Enchanted Castle, latest addition to the park. Above, Shirley Temple, former child star, garbed as the "Beauty;' and Walt Disney officially open the Castle. A �?:a:;,:� %�:���<; 5:¢,h>�e;�`;r,..:• •":.V'"`�.x, � 'w'�.�,�, .:.`''�a�`�,iitk��•:WV.a ii..:.�':wS•'��ver�.Z��k.'�aS.:i:.:f•::.,..-...w;.....f'cww., ..:.4i:i:.':uw<k. •. �: CAST OF CHARACTERS—So you think Junior's pup, always underfoot, is a nuisance? How'd you like to live in Lorraine D'Essen's apartment? The pieure above gives you an idea of what Ws like at breakfast time most mornings, Lorraine's sitting on a llama, holding a wombat. Behind the Hama is a Iamb. Among her other pets are dogs (including a Great Dane), sheep, ducks and kangaroos. Lorraine is an animal talent scout. When a show loreclucer needs a certain animal, he calls her and she can usually produce the one needed