206 EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL REPORT OF THE 



gauged, to get out of a rut, not to be narrow or one-sided, hold their 

 minds open to conviction. 



I do not know whether bee men are any worse than other men, 

 but it seems to me we are more apt to get into a rut. 



Some field men have adopted this habit: They will not give 

 specific methods unless they are asked to. More good will come to 

 bee-keepers if they are taught to recognize principle. 



Then of course there is the question box; every good field man uses 

 that to the limit, and this enables not only the hearers to do some 

 thinking, but brings home to his personal problems the theory that 

 thte field man is trying to make plain. Too much use cannot be made 

 of this round table which I know this convention has made splendid 

 use of this meeting; a field man cannot do it all himself that is sure; 

 you have got to have friends follow up the work if you are going to 

 make this permanent. Who can do this? What will make this follow 

 up work possible? That has been answered by three or four of the 

 topics on the program to-day. 



Organization — Local organizations properly started and kept up 

 will act as a follow up system that no field man or extension man 

 could possibly keep up himself. A good many think you have got to 

 have a meeting in local associations once a week or month; that is 

 not so. If you have an organization ready to handle the problem 

 when it comes, that is all that is necessary. If you need a drive against 

 foul brood, box hives, etcetera, call your organization together; have 

 them there when needed — or have some law put through. 



Organization, friends, is the permanent idea that will take the 

 weight off from the field man, will act as a spur to keep things going 

 during his absence. 



What is the reason, friends, that the present organization of 

 county associations is more hopeful than that of 1882 (which lasted 

 for two years and then died; '»6, one year, and then died.) Is there 

 no rteason to hope that these county iassociations will live longer than 

 that? There is one ground for hope — the presence on the ground of 

 an active earnest county agent. 



Those of you who have been tempted to underrate the activity 

 of your county agent are those who underrate the activity of county 

 organizations. 



The county agent has come to stay; he is a recognized link in 

 this chain of extension forces. ' One thing the extension man must do 

 in most cases is to visit that county agent; three-fourths of the work 

 should be with the county age^t; educate your county agent so that 

 he will train the people; you MVe got to educate your county agent 

 as to the importance of bee-keeping in his community; once they 

 realize the importance of the industry commercially as a community 

 interest, as a local interest, you have got that county agent enlisted in 

 a permanent drive for bee-keeping in that county. 



Then again as to the merit of the extension work — you heard the 

 testimony of Mr. Yost, the state inspector gave as to counties that had 

 organization, they say they can do more in a week in a county that is 

 organized than they can do in three weeks in a county in which they 

 had to nose around and find out where the disease is and where they 



