ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



45 



in use. The extractor runs by gasoline 

 engine, the honey as fast as extracted 

 runs at once from machine below into 

 storage tank, all strained. All these 

 modern improvements cost him but 

 little, and makes it possible for him 

 to handle twice the number of colonies 

 with half cost of production. He can 

 thus produce honey much cheaper as 

 well as easier. At Detroit was several 

 new appliances, some valuable. The 

 new five-gallon jacketed can for Na- 

 tional members for 1909 I hp-ve im- 

 proved so with three -inch screw top off 

 every drop of honey will drain out. 

 Easy to melt honey in also by removing 

 outside jacket. I am also planning in 

 near future to supply a good section 

 box for less cost to producer not made 

 of wood or tin. Uncapping machines 

 are already in their infancy, only wait- 

 ing for little improvements before in 

 general use. Surely, you ^ill say bet- 

 ter days are at hand and we must be 

 up to date, as these things demand. 

 Another thing we have sadly neglect- 

 ed is proper selection of drones for 

 mating queens. I wonder some who 

 sell queens can hope to sell good 

 queens with common stock in same 

 apiary or near adjoining. We well 

 know the importance of selection of 

 sire in farm stock, yet we have plant- 

 ed same small potatoes for years, and 

 used any kind of mated queens for 

 generations with bad results. One 

 more thing of valuable importance is 

 the getting rid of the dreaded bee dis- 

 eases. Methods have proven how to 

 safely treat each disease, and almost 

 every up-to-date bee-keeper is care- 

 fully getting rid of diseased bees. We 

 yet have in the several States, includ- 

 ing Illinois, many bee-keepers who let 

 their bees take care of themselves, 

 and if disease gets among them and 

 several colonies die and are robbed 

 out by neighbor bees whose family 

 support comes from the bees. In Wis- 

 consin we have a good law that em- 

 powers the Bee Inspector to inspect any 

 apiary and ascertain whether or not 

 such disease exists and give the owner 

 instructions how to treat them. Illi- 

 nois law lacks the most important part, 

 that of legal right to inspect, and if 

 apiary is diseased to compel its treat- 

 ment. Think of having a Sheriff with- 

 out authority. I in Wisconsin have 

 had several times disease imported 

 from Illinois where Illinois Inspector 

 could not lawfully inspect or treat 

 said apiary. If nothing else of import- 



ance is done at your annual meeting, 

 I do hope you, every member, become 

 one of committee to personally see 

 or write your member of Illinois Legis- 

 lature the need of amending Illinois 

 law giving him authority. Tour state 

 recognized in appropriation all the 

 funds asked for — to eradicate bee dis- 

 eases, and then left out the most im- 

 portant part of authority of Inspector. 

 We must have healthy bees and then 

 the modern methods will make bee- 

 keeping one of the greatest of agricul- 

 tural industries. Many States have 

 laws on bee diseases and every Statfe 

 except Illinois gives its In- 

 spectors legal authority. Surely 

 Illinois, with 34,932 farms with 

 179,953 colonies of bees, producing an- 

 nually 2,961,080 pounds of honey, worth 

 $350,000, is worth protecting. United- 

 ly you can get this needed change in 

 Illinois law. Will you do your part? 

 Tours truly, 



N. E. FRANCE, 

 Bee Inspector 12 Tears of Wis. 



Mr. Moore: There is one thing I 

 want to bring before the meeting in 

 regard to our foul brood law. We have 

 a good law as far as it goes. 



The general run of our legislators 

 have very little idea what bee-keeping 

 is to this State. 



I was talking to the Honorable E. G. 

 King. We were speaking of my crop 

 of honey. I told him I was going to 

 the State Association. He said, "They 

 appropriated one thousand ($1,000) 

 dollars;" he said, "What is that for?" 

 I told him of our foul brood law; I 

 told him it was good as far as it went. 

 If the foul brood law was brought up 

 with this man sitting there he would 

 know what it was. If I could go be- 

 fore every member and tell them about 

 the foul brood we would have a better 

 law. 



I am going to see Honorable E. G. 

 King again and also Senator Hereford 

 for a compulsory foul brood law, and 

 we could have one that an Inspector 

 could go ahead and clean up a foul 

 brood apiary as well as a Sheriff. 



Mr. Becker: Last fall I was down 

 in Southern Illinois. I visited in Ed- 

 wardsville. We went to see Repre- 

 sentative McGrath, from Madison 

 County. He had the year before five 

 colonies of foul brood. He was a jolly 

 good fellow and a farmer. Mr. Werner 

 was well acquainted with them, and 

 he was along. He said, "Go look at 



