McLATN, 1888. 87 



tion which McLain gives of the appearance of the dead larvae is that 

 of American foul brood, he very probably was working with this 

 disease. 



7. He seemed to accept the beUef that adult bees are affected with 

 foul brood as well as the brood. 



8. He supposed that pollen is the medium by wliich the infection 

 is usually transmitted. 



9. He e\'idently beheved m the eflSciency of the drug treatment of 

 bee diseases. 



Let us now consider for a moment some of his contentions. One 

 must agree with McLain that the diseased condition then knowTi as 

 foul brood is an exceedingly serious one, causing great loss to the bee 

 keepers. That the disease is quite infectious has often been demon- 

 strated. That the germs of the disease may be carried from one 

 hive to another in and upon the bodies of the bees seems very prob- 

 able. That the germs are carried from one colony to another upon 

 the clothing of the bee keepers and that the mfection is transmitted 

 m this way is extremely improbable. That the germs are carried by 

 the "wdnds from one hive to another in the apiaiy is Ukewise veiy 

 improbable. That the germs of the disease are liberated from other 

 insects and afterwards taken up by bees is not probable. 



In many ways this report by McLain is a conservative one. Suf- 

 ficient evidence was wanting to prove most of the points m his paper. 

 He probably realized this fact, and for this reason, as a rule, he did 

 not make positive statements. Inasmuch as his report covers the 

 work of a single season, very little definite information could be 



expected. 



McLain, 1888. 



In his report * on the succeeding year's work McLain discusses some- 

 what again the question of bee diseases. This report shows the 

 influence of Cheshire's writings, since McLain now speaks of the 

 inappropriateness of the name foul brood (p. 21) and the certainty 

 of the etiological relation between Bacillus alvei and the disease (p. 20). 

 Furthermore he refers to the statements of Cheshire concerning the 

 probable spread of disease through the air and by means of the clothes 

 and hands of the operator, and says that Cheshire's observations are 

 in agreement %\'itli his own which he included in the preceding report. 



McLain had expressed (p. 36) his firm belief in the theory that 

 pollen was the common source of infection in foul brood, and not 

 honey, as was commonly supposed. This view, he thought, was 

 strengthened by some statements which Cheshire made. McLain 

 was of the opinion that undue importance was being attached to 

 honey as a medium through which the infection is transmitted, and 



1 McLain, N. W., 1888. Report on experiments in apiculture. Report ol the Commissioner ol Agricultuie 

 for 1887, pp. 170-178. Washington: Government Printing OflQce. 



