The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1907-11-15
BuMBLEBEES AS cTvILIZERS.

II is stated that two cigar boxes Of
MARYLAND and Virginia bumbleDees
have been sent from Washington 10
the Island of Luzon. They were ship
med under rush orders 10y the United
STATES Departmentof Agriculture. Ihey
are needed, so the statement is gwen
ont. for the cross-fertillzation OF certain
nlants. a. the common honey bee Is not
e,ual TO the work required.
Its an right to send Virginia bum
blebees to the Philippines. When IL
come, down to straight business with
ont any preliminary frills, we viii PIT
the Virginia variety against any other
hpmblebee the world over; and the
southside Virginia variety is all stand
ard.bred. But that excuse for sending
chose bees TO the Island Of Luzon is SO
thin that you can see through it in the
dark. Who ever heard Of honey bee
being unequal to the work Of cross
fertilization Of plants?
secretary Wilson can't fool us. We
know why those Virginia bred bum
blebees were sent. 1t was because Bill
Taft wishes to civilize the Filipinos.
CIVILIZED people wear clothes, and some
of the natives have persistently refus-
ga towear anything but earrings and an
umbrella. Taft has evidently seen a
great light, and has asked for a ship
ment of bumblebees that mean bust
ness. Some Nirginian in the Philip
pines has told Taft that nothing will so
quickly get the unsuspecting Filipino
into clothes. and therefore into civiliEa-
/ ton. a- a bumblebee straight from the
soil OF the Old Dominion.
And The native will wear plenty OF
them. too clothes, not bees-and well
buttoned, when the business end Of the
bumbiebee gets TO work. Some bum
bie0ee, might not make him wear more
than "a loose cotton shirt. But not SC
with th6old Virginia humble. Life il
never So pleasant TO him, or SO strenu'
GUS for hs victim, as when he gets un-
der q shirt. We have all heard the
verse beginning,
GLOW doth the little busy bee
Improve each shining hour"
But thatisn circumstance to the
manner i'm which the bumblebee i'm
proves. He works overtime and i'm
proves each shining second. Whether
out for business or improvement, hi
shines. And nothing but clothes tight
ly buttoned will stop him. He love-
TO get down-or up-a back better thar
anywhere else. A loose cotton Carmen
extending to the knees? Jerusalem
i Hecm play a game Of baseball, dance
Iacan-can, and run footrace on mans
back all at one time. He can hit more
fouls, slide more bases, strike out, and
keep on at IL, more times In one minute
than any two teams in the National
League could in one week.
We have had both a coal Of fire and
a bumblebee down our back. Not botf
at the same time, Of course, for We
wouldn't be here in that case. We
would be over in the cemetery. Blu
we have had both experiences, and W.
I are prepared to assert that plain, ordi
nary, everyday SOuthside Virgins
/ bumblebee, when busily engaged in s
game of golf on a bare back, can make
/ a coal Of fire feel like lump Of ice.
Yes, sir The Filipinos may not b,
ready for selfgovernment in five gen
eratons, but if those Virginia humble
bees multiply fast enough, every ma
tive will be wearing clothes in fiv'
years It's just like we tell you