ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



55 



made by a supply dealer or a bee jour- 

 nal editor. 



The -chairman of the committee 

 would not listen to me; I could not 

 get his hearing. 



I had letters from the Secretary of 

 Agriculture, and senators, introducing 

 me to the man who hacj the matter in 

 charge. 



I waited there 

 made up my mind 

 any way of breakii 



four days, and I 

 that, if there was 

 through govern- 



mental affairs, I was going to do it. 

 Having seen all Qf the members of 



the agricultural cc 

 Lever, I stood outs 



ttee except Mr. 

 ie /of Mr. Lever's 



office and waited, and I said, "If any 

 one can get in there, I will.'' 



I knocked at the door several times, 

 but I did not have the combination. 



Pretty soon a girl came to the door. 

 She gave two knocks, and then, when 

 she was let in, I lock- stepped in with 

 her. 



The clerk said to me, "How did you 

 get in here?" 



"I walked in." 



He said to the stenographer, "Did 

 you let him in?" 



"Well," he said to me, "Mr. Lever is 

 very busy. He can't see you today." 



I said to him, "I have a very im- 

 portant matter in which Mr. Lever is 

 interested; I must see him." 



He wanted to know who I was. 



I told him I was the representative 

 of the National Bee-Keepers' Associa- 

 tion and several of the state associa- 

 tions, and wanted to ask for certain 

 extension of funds in which Mr. Lever 

 is very much interested. 



Mr. Lever was the author of the bill 

 which is now a law, making it possible 

 for extension workers to go over the 

 state and instruct farmers how to 

 carry on agriculture. 



I said to the clerk, "You tell Mr. 

 Lever that Mr. Root is out here as a 

 representative of the National Bee- 

 Keepers' Association and wants to see 

 him." 



He went in there, and finally said to 

 me, "You can go in and see him." 



I said to Mr. Lever, "I have a mat- 

 ter in w^hich you are very much in- 

 terested." 



I told him how this law of his 

 might be extended if we could have 

 $5,000 for the bee-keepers, and the re- 

 sult was I stayed with him thirty min- 

 utes. 



He stated to me that we could have 

 an appropriation of $50,000 next time. 



Nqw, what I want you to do is to 

 have things in such shape — have 

 somebody appointed a committee to 

 go down and ask for that $50,000 that . 

 has been promised us. 



I wish to make this suggestion: 



That your resolution committee 

 draft a suitable resolution, that this 

 organization particularly ask for this 

 $50,000 appropriation. And why? 



For this reason: If the government 

 will grant this $50,000, you will get 

 part of it in this state. 



Just to imagine having an apicul- 

 tural instructor to go around and in- 

 struct the people not to have foul 

 brood and to know what it is whe;n it 

 comes. ({^ 



Several of the men have gone do^^Ui 

 to South Carolina, Virginia and Ten- 

 nessee, to give them instructions. In 

 this way we can do away with bee 

 diseases. 



I merely suggest that this organiza- 

 tion prepare a resolution and have it 

 properly submitted, so that when Mr, 

 Pellet and members of the committee 

 go down to Washington they will have 

 the proper credentials from the state 

 organizations. 



President Baxter — Mr, Root, that is 

 for a very good purpose. Do these ex- 

 tension workers work individually or 

 at Farmers' Institutes or how is it 

 done? 



Mr. Root — The extension worker I 

 think would be a co-laborer with Mr. 

 Kildow. 



The plan is, so far as I know, that 

 these men will go out in the country . 

 where they need instructions. They 

 'will be told how to keep bees, how to 

 get rid of bee diseases if they have 

 any; how to keep their hives clean — 

 and tell them of the" modern methods. 



They will be told how they can put 

 their honey up in such and such a 

 way. 



This will bring up the quality of 

 bee-keeping and the quality of the 

 product. 



President Baxter — I think, and I 

 have always thought, the best way to 

 reach the masses would be through 

 the Farmers' Institute. 



I took that matter up with the late 

 Secretary of the State Farmers' Insti- 

 tute, Mr, McKeene, and he had prom- 



