ILLINOIS STATE BEE-KEEPERS' ASSOCIATION 



155 



small investment. Some States, how- 

 ever, averaged more, and some even 

 less. And the numher taken from the 

 census can scarcely be accepted as 

 correct. Then, too, bee-keeping is 

 taken up by many as a recreation or 

 a subject of nature study. Such per- 

 sons do not wish to make it their sole 

 or imain occupation. Many farmers, 

 also, keep a few colonies of bees and 

 add "to tiheir income to sorae extent in 

 that way. It is obvious that bee-keep- 

 ing must continue to be an avocation 

 in the majority of cases. 



This brings up for consideration an 

 important question which has been 

 much discussed by those interested in 

 bringing about an advance in the in- 

 dustry: Shall an attempt be made to 

 increase the number of bee-keepers 

 or to make better ones of a smaller 

 number? Bee-keepers who follow the 

 pursuit on a commercial scale are 

 anxious that there be no increase in 

 the number engaged in the 'business, 

 but leather a decrease, with an accom- 

 panying advance in the proficiency of 

 those so engaged. 



This desire is not wholly selfish, for 

 unless the increase is directly in the 

 territory of the individual his crop is 

 not affected. 



If progress is to be made toward 

 getting the largest possible Ihoney 

 crop from the United States, it will 

 hardly be done by making bee-keepers 

 who own an average of five colonies. 

 It (moist be done by progressive bee- 

 keepers financially interested to an 

 extent sufficient to compel them to 

 combat disease and to do their ut- 

 most to get the entire crop. We may 

 not hope to attain this ultimate condi- 

 tion, but an effort might be made to 

 discourage negligent and indifferent 

 'bee-keeping. In spite of the fact that 

 bee-keeping is the sole occupation of 

 but few, it, nevertheless, commands 

 attention in that it adds considerably 

 to the resources of the country and 

 increases the income of thousands of 

 people. The possibilities for its in- 

 crease are great, and the advance- 

 anent of this vocation is a worthy ob- 

 ject as aiming to save for human use 

 a resource which is now so generally 

 wasted. 



It is very difficult to estimate accu- 

 rately the annual value of the prod- 

 ucts of the apiary, but from various 

 sources of information it is reason- 

 able to suppose that tlhe value of the 



honey produced annually in the 

 United States is on the average about 

 $30,000,000, and that of wax, $2,000,000, 

 or more. Since the honey harvest de- 

 pends so completely on various cli- 

 matic conditions afCecting the secre- 

 tion of nectar, it is obvious that there 

 is an enormous variation in the an- 

 nual yield. As nearly as can be be 

 learned, the number of sections for 

 comb honey manufactured annually by 

 supply dealers is about 80,000,000, and 

 that may be considered a fair estimate 

 of tihe number of pounds of comb 

 honey produced in the United States, 

 since relatively few sections are ex- 

 ported. Extracted honey is produced 

 more extensively, and it is safe to say 

 that the annual crop is three or four 

 times that of comb honey. Taking 

 into consideration, also, the chunk 

 honey and honey not marketed, hut 

 used in home consumption, the esti- 

 mate is none too hig!h. 



In addition to the revenue derived 

 frami the bee in the production of 

 'honey and wax, we must not lose 

 sight of the great value of the honey 

 bee as a poUenizing agent, and in esti- 

 mating the value of the industry in 

 adding to the resources of the coun- 

 try this phase of the subject must be 

 included. Other insects, of course, 

 aid in this way, hut the honey bee 

 occupies a peculiar position in a con- 

 sideration of this subject. 



For this purpose there is no ques- 

 tion but that the bee is of great 

 service to the grower of fruits. No 

 other insect appears in such vast 

 numbers at this very important time 

 in tihe spring when their agency is so 

 much needed to fertilize the orchard 

 and small fruits. 



I should like to touch upon the 

 different sources of loss, of which 

 there are many, but the matter of dis- 

 ease, I trust, will receive the attention 

 of this convention it deserves. There 

 are now recognized two distinct brood 

 diseases, wihch are contagious, and 

 wihich annually cause enormous loss 

 to those engaged in the industry. 

 There is reason, too, to believe that 

 these diseases are spreading to new 

 localities at a rapid rate, and unless 

 vigorous steps are taken there can 'be 

 no doubt that in a few years they will 

 •be distributed to every part of the 

 United States; and I cannot urge t-o- 

 strongly the necessity of stringent 

 foul brood laws in every State and' 



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