ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



29 



of bee-keeping from one end of our 

 land to the other. But thanks again 

 to the f oresightedness, and the unselfish 

 devotion and energy, of many of our 

 prominent bee-keepers and the friends 

 of progress in all parts of our land, we 

 now have good, wholesome laws, in 

 most of the states, that are doing a 

 great deal to check these ravages. In 

 fact, in states where the law is rigidly 

 enforced by a competent Inspector, and 

 where the necessary funds have been 

 appropriated to do the work properly, 

 as in our own state, the dreaded foul 

 brood diseases are not only being 

 checked from spreading farther, but 

 are actually being stamped out from 

 many localities. Let this good work 

 go on. 



The Annual Report of our State Foul 

 Brood Inspector, Mr. Kildow, to be 

 given later in the day, will show you 

 what has been acomplished during the 

 past year. 



There is one subject that I want to 

 bring to your attention, which should 

 interest every bee-keeper in Illinois 

 and which should receive his best 

 thought and his undivided and un- 

 selfish consideration. That is, co-oper- 

 ation among bee-keepers — its aim and 

 scope, and how best can it be accom- 

 plished. 



Should the National Association be 

 reorganized to take up this work, and, 

 if so, to what extent should this co- 

 operation be taken, up? 



Or should the matter of co-operation 

 be limited to state organization ex- 

 clusively? This is a deep subject of 

 vast importance to the bee-keeping 

 fraternity of every state, and it should 

 be carefully studied and considered, 

 and I would recommend that the mat- 

 ter be thoroughly discussed at this 

 meeting. 



Another subject of great importance 

 to the members of affiliated associa- 

 tions is the present status of the Na- 

 tional Bee -Keepers' Association — is it 

 fulfilling its purpose, and is It of any 

 benefit to its members as it is now or- 

 ganized and conducted? 



This should have your serious, im- 

 partial consideration, and I would 

 recommend that this be also fully dis- 

 cussed at this meeting, and a resolu- 

 tion setting forth your conclusions be 

 adopted, as a guide to the actions of 

 the delegates you may elect to attend 

 the meeting of the National next 



February in Denver, Colorado, should 

 you see fit to elect one. 



There is still another important mat- 

 ter that I would like to have you con- 

 sider and to take action upon. 



Article II. of our Constitution says: 

 "The object of this Association shall 

 be to promote the general interests of 

 the pursuit of bee culture." Such be- 

 ing the case, I would recommend that 

 your Executive Committee be em- 

 powered to make arrangements for 

 holding from three to six field meet- 

 ings, next summer, including the Tri- 

 State field meet which has already been 

 arranged for at Hamilton, Illinois, 

 some time late in next July or early 

 August, by the Iowa State Society, Illi- 

 nois and Missouri co-operating there- 

 with. These field meets, I believe, 

 should be in charge of your President 

 for 1915, for which service he will re- 

 ceive no pay more than his expenses. 



These field meets should be held at 

 such times and places as will accom- 

 modate the most bee-keepers in that 

 section of the state, and not more 

 than two of these meetings should be 

 held in any one of the three Supreme 

 Court Judicial Divisions of the state. 



And still another very important 

 matter that I wish to call to your atten- 

 tion is the necessity of co-operation 

 between the various Public, Industrial, 

 Educational and Philanthropic Asso- 

 ciations of the state in matters of 

 general interest, and as a means to 

 that end I would recommend that this 

 Association name a committee to work 

 in conjunction with committees of other 

 Associations with that object in view. 



I believe that your Executive Com- 

 mittee, or, better, possibly, your Legis- 

 lative Committee, would be the logical 

 committee to entrust this work to, as 

 it will comprise mainly legislative mat- 

 ters. 



Now in conclusion allow me to re- 

 mind you of the frightful weather con- 

 ditions that have obtained over most 

 parts of our state the past season. The 

 awful drought has probably been the 

 very worst that has ever been experi- 

 enced in this state, and the bee-keepers 

 as well as the tillers of the soil have 

 suffered in consequence. The outlook 

 for the coming season is anything but 

 bright, but I have seen a fairly good 

 crop of honey gathered following a 

 rather discouraging prospect in the 



