

68 



SIXTEENTH ANNUAL, REPORT OF THE 



you give your charges. The burden of 

 proof is on him. 



I remember a man that was in the 

 civil service job that I am in^ at the 

 present time. When he was put there, 

 everybody said, "All that fellow is fit 

 for is to drive railroad spikes on a 

 section." He became one ot the most 

 efficient men in that service. A man 

 cannot learn these things without 

 practical experience. The first thing 

 is to get the eligible list that you have 

 to draw from and try your man out. 



I happen to know a very capable 

 man helped to get up those ques- 

 tions and examination papers and 

 stated whether these people were com- 

 petent or not so far as he knew. The 

 next thing to do is put them in the 

 field and find out whether they are 

 competent. 



Mr. Root — Our civil service law, 

 we have done away with it. I have 

 known of some young students pass an 

 examination of whom I know would 

 not be fit for the place. 



In politics, when you stir up a little 

 hornet's nest it does much harm. If 

 you can, pick out your men recom- 

 mended by your President, you are 

 going to get better men than if you 

 take some of those civil service exami- 

 nation men because they pass the ex- 

 amination. I know some of the 

 students of the State University who 

 took up beekeeping in our state. They 

 had answered the questions so far as 

 writing them on paper all right, but I 

 saw they had not got the basis of it. 



It seems to me this foul brood mat- 

 ter is so important it ought to require 

 something like that of the school 

 teachers. They pass an examination 

 and then they have to have so much 

 experience in order to get into certain 

 schools. 



I go out with men in Ohio and they 

 have told American foul brood, but 

 when it came to European or sack 

 brood they were up against it. I think 

 that is a pretty difficult matter to de- 

 termine. 



They said, "How am I to tell ab- 

 solutely between each brood and 

 European? By a microscopic exami- 

 nation y.ou may sometimes detect it. 

 You can tell European by the odor. 

 About 1889, in Gleanings, I wrote up 

 "New Bee Diseases." I have been fol- . 

 lowing this ever since. I don't believe 

 I could tell a student or that I could 



put it in A, B, C of Bee Culture, but I 

 could say to a man, "That is European 

 and that is American." 



The most important thing is to have 

 as a deputy a hale fellow well met, 

 who can get along with people; his lack 

 of knowledge he can soon make up. 



Mr. Kildow — My instructions say, 

 "If I make the charge I have got to 

 back it up." 



A member — It is results we are af- 

 ter. Mr. Kildow has been Inspector for 

 quite a while; it looks as though he 

 should know who is efficient and who 

 is not. 



Mr. Dadant — It seems to me that Mr. 

 Kildow has half a dozen deputies; he 

 finds one who is not efficient, and he 

 simply does not employ him. There is 

 no deception in that. There is no rea- 

 son why he should be demanded to em- 

 ploy a man who is not competent. 



After you have tested your men, if 

 you find one who is not practically 

 competent, put him aside without mak- 

 ing any complaint, and there is no rea- 

 son why he should have any cause to 

 find fault. 



Mr. Kildow — It is left with me to 

 send him out. If I find he is not a fit 

 man to go, I let him stay at home. If 

 he keeps at me about going, I make 

 some excuse. 



Mr. Dadant — All this discussion is 

 raised by the, suggestion of Mr. Pyles 

 that there ought to be a meeting of the 

 deputies with the Inspector.- I believe 

 it is a very good idea. I believe the In- 

 spectors can inform each other and 

 give information to the main Inspector 

 as to their ability; and I believe the 

 Inspectors should be called together 

 and matters discussed between them 

 and practical tests made by them be- 

 fore the crowd of them. 

 • Question — Why do not more women 

 attend the Association meetings? 



Mr. Kildow — The men do not bring 

 them. 



Mr. Dadant — I have not been in the 

 habit of taking my wife to conventions. 

 There are only one or two ladies pres- 

 ent, and it is not enjoyable for her. 

 Even in Europe she was alone in the 

 meetings. In New England I have at- 

 tended meetings when there were fully 

 as many ladies present as gentlemen. 



In the Adirondacks,' half of thirty 

 present were ladies. 



Also, at Mr. Wright's, at Albany. 

 But, as a rule, as it is here, there are 



