88 EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



keeping, because men are already making sufficient to live on and 

 then something to put away for a rainy day. In every case we must 

 remember that those men have worked up from the beginning, they 

 have gradually gained the knowledge that is requisite to continue and 

 enlarge the business. We must also remember that it is pretty hard, 

 in fact it is impossible, for anyone without the knowledge, to start in 

 bee-keeping on a large scale and make it successful. We cannot 

 succeed or make a profit from bees unless we have the knowledge and 

 then we have the interest and we should remember that it takes time 

 to develop these. If we are willing to put into the bee business, the 

 same amount of knowledge and ambition that we would put into any 

 other business, then we have something in the bee business that is 

 not only pleasant and fascinating but will also be profitable as many 

 of the other lines of business. (Applause.) 



The President. — This paper is open for discussion now. 



Mr. Kildow. — Mr. Millen spoke about cranks. A crank is the 

 handle by which we make things go and if we have not got that crank 

 to make things go we must quit. 



The President. — Provided the crank is not warped. 



Mr. Dadant. — There are useful cranks and there are nuisances 

 among cranks. I think we are most of us bee-keepers, we are cranks, 

 but there are cranks among bee-keepers that are really nuisances. 

 I know of a president of a bee-keepers' association — this is not in Illi- 

 nois, understand — a president of a bee-keepers' association who posi- 

 tively knows that the only thing to do for foul brood, whether Ameri- 

 can or European, is to have strong colonies. That will get rid of it. 

 It is not so very long ago that I had a discussion with him and he 

 hoped to convince me. I hope to see him again in a few months and 

 find out if he has learned anything different. 



The President. — I can assure you that that president is not in 

 Illinois. Anyone else have anything that they wish to say on this 

 subject? 



Mr. Pitner. — I am a beginner and I am like a sponge trying to 

 to absorb knowledge in every place I can, and I ran across a bee journal 

 of the Iowa State College that had a correspondence course. I cor- 

 responded with Mr. Millen and finally took the course and I receivfe'd 

 his Seasonable Hints and I think that is a good thing, especially for 

 people who are starting in from the foundation and know absolutely 

 nothing about bees. Really it would be just as good for anybody else, 

 but I mean that people who are trying to work out a process and work 

 out a knowledge of how to handle bees those thmgs are certainly a 

 remarkable help and I just wondered why it was that we do not have in 

 our State Horticultural School here an apiary institute, whatever 

 you call that, I wonder if they have anything along that line. I did 

 not take it up with the University of Illinois because I jumped to the 

 first thing I saw, like a bass after a fly, but if that could be included 

 in the State teachings it looks to me like it would be a big help and 

 also help the State Inspector eradicating a lot of this trouble. 



The President. — I might say in regard to the State University, 

 they did have a course including nine weeks which was given under 

 the Department of Zoology, by request of a few of the students. It 



