628 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEI'AIITMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



One of the worst features of the situation is the importation by 

 department and 5-and-lO-cent stores of foreign ornamental nursery 

 stock, which very often is not reported, and which State inspectors 

 have the greatest dillicidty in tracing. Kursery stock from abroad 

 is also sent to this country to be sold under the hammer at various 

 auctioneer establishments in large cities, and in both of these cases 

 it is almost impossible to trace such stock or make any adequate in- 

 spection of it. In this city, such stock has been examined by agents 

 of this bureau under difliculty and without any real authority, and 

 has in several instances been found infested with dangerous insects. 



The record given elsewhere under the head of " Inspection work " 

 of this bureau illustrates more pointedly the dangers which the intro- 

 duction of foreign stock without proper supervision has for this 

 country. 



WORK IN BEE CDliTURE. 



The principal work in bee culture, carried on under the direction 

 of Dr. E. F. Phillips, has been the study of bee diseases, both as to 

 cause and remedy, and the further study of the extent to which these 

 diseases are spread in the United States. The study of the causes of 

 the two principal diseases has been continued in a satisfactory man- 

 ner. Bacillus larvoE^ the cause of American foul brood, has been 

 further studied, and in case of the European foul brood the search 

 for the cause has been continued faithfully and vigorously, but so far 

 without entire success. While the cause for the disease has not been 

 established, there is reason to suspect an organism which has so far 

 failed to grow on any culture medium. Other organisms found in 

 diseased material are being studied as an aid for laboratory diagnosis. 

 The claims of other workers as to the cause of the disease known as 

 European foul brood have not been substantiated. As an aid to other 

 workers in the field, directions for the laboratory diagnosis of samples 

 of suspected brood are being prepared. 



A paper summarizing the more important publications on the 

 etiology of bee diseases has been prepared and submitted for publi- 

 cation, and a Farmers' Bulletin on the symptoms and treatment of 

 bee diseases has been published and is being widely distributed. This 

 bulletin contains the available information which a bee keeper should 

 have to control these diseases successfully. The treatment advocated 

 by the bureau is proving very successful where properly applied. 



But the greatest task has been, not to prepare the bulletins in ques- 

 tion, but to ascertain more about the occurrence and the results of 

 these diseases. No other line of investigation connected with bee- 

 keeping compares with this one in practical importance. During the 

 past fiscal year 1,054 samples of diseased brood have been examined 

 as against 620 for the previous year and 280 for the year before that. 

 A publication giving the distribution as known from samples ex- 

 amined up to March 1, 1911, has been issued, and since that time 

 samples have been received showing the presence of American foul 

 brood in 41 additional counties and European foul brood in 29 addi- 

 tional counties. The records on July 1 showed American foul brood 

 in 335 counties in 39 States and European foul brood in 194 counties 

 in 25 States. These figures do not, of course, indicate that every 

 apiary in these counties contains the disease, but they show tiiat the 



