ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



123 



animals in our country; and ,the only 

 safe thing to do is to have some one 

 who has authority and can compel ac- 

 tion. It is so with the foul brood 

 disease among- bees. 



Mr. Reynolds: Should we not ba 

 compensated for what is destroyed? 



Mr. Taylor: That would depend en- 

 tirely upon the law. 



Mr. Reynolds: That" is wihat we 

 want in that law. 



Mr. Whitney: Then giO' to Spring- 

 field and see if you can get it. You 

 cannot. 



Mr. Smith: Whenever I hear a man 

 opposed to a foul brood law, I am 

 pretty sure his bees have got it, and 

 he is afraid he is going to have his 

 bees interefered with just at the busy 

 season; but that doesn't make any 

 difference. 



Dr. Miller: I don't care now to dis- 

 cuss the matter, but to ask if the Pres- 

 ident will ask those of other States 

 present, who have foul brood laws, 

 whether it is considered by the bee- 

 keepers as a good thing or a bad 

 thing. 



President York: I will call Mr. 

 Wilcox from Wisconsin. 



Mr. Wiloox: We have a foul brood 

 ■law, and we think it is so nearly per- 

 fect that we don't wish any change. 

 It is effective for the purpose of pre- 

 vention, and it is satisfactory, so far 

 as I can learn, to all the hee-keepers 

 of the State. When we first attempted 

 to put it into operation tihere was 

 some trouble. A bee-keeper or two 

 had foul brood. Their • ibees had all 

 died. They wished their neighbors to 

 share the same thing. They placed 

 their combs upon the fences, in the 

 limbs of the trees, spread them 

 around the yard; and Mr. France no- 

 tified them they must take care of 

 tftiem immediately; they must not ex- 

 pose their neighbors' bees to the dan- 

 ger. They ordered him ofE the prem- 

 ises, and said that they would do as 

 they pleased. He then read to them 

 the law requiring them to take care of 

 their own foul 'brood, and the penalty 

 for exposing their neighbors to the 

 danger. In a little time they sub- 

 mitted, and since t'hen there has been 

 no further trouble. Now they invite 

 him to come, and notify him of every 

 case. There is no man in Wisconsin 

 who objects to having his bees ex- 

 amined if they have foul brood. 

 Further, they have never burnt any, 



that has come to my knowledge — none 

 that has ever been reported. Mr. 

 France goes there, and if they don't 

 know ttiow, arid can't take care of 

 their own, he saves their hives, their 

 combs and their beeswax. He de- 

 stroys only the honey. It is satis- 

 factory in every respect. As to this 

 provision that was referred to in re- 

 lation to compensation, that has been 

 discussed in our State, and was when 

 we were framing the foul brood law, 

 and we reached this conclusion, that 

 we would say nothing about it. Why? 

 How much is a foul-broody colony 

 worth? Can any of you stop and 

 think a minute? It has it so badly 

 that it needs to be destroyed. The 

 hive can be saved; the frames cari be 

 saved, and the beeswax can be saved. 

 How much damage should you pay 

 for the diseased comb? When we 

 came to reason upon it in that way, 

 we concluded to say nothing about it. 

 It is true, the veterinary law of Wis- 

 consin provides compensation for cat- 

 tle slaughtered. Those having tuber- 

 culosis are allowed a price not ex- 

 ceeding $50.00 for co.ws, and so on 

 with other animals. We don't wash 

 it for our bees; and the bee-keepers 

 are willing to take hold of it and learn 

 to handle it. It has been a success. 

 Mr. Wheeler says it will break out 

 again. Five years ago Mr. France 

 came within ten miles of me and 

 cleaned out over a dozen apiaries of 

 foul brood, and there has never been 

 a case since in the vicinity; and I 

 believe, therefore, that it can be to- 

 tally eradicated. I believe this is a 

 wise move, and that you will all be 

 benefited, by it, and that I will be ben- 

 efited hy it if I ever buy any queens 

 or honey from Illinois. I said to the 

 members of the Legislature that we 

 were selling from one State to an- 

 other, and it was necessary, in order 

 to obtain good prices, that we should 

 sell a good, pure article, and not any- 

 thing that had any infectious disease. 

 We are pleased with it. 



President York: The States 'have 

 been called for. We ought to hear 

 from Michigan, if Mr. Taylor wishes 

 to say anything. 



Mr. Taylor: Yes, we have a law in 

 our State, and it is very satisfactory 

 among bee-keepers. Bee-keepers who 

 find they have foul brood are almost 

 universally anxious to have the in- 

 spector come and examine the bees, 

 and to direct them how to get rid of 



