THE SO-CALLED *' BLACK BEOOD/' 43 



Bouillon. — There is no growth. 



Glucose houiUon. — There is no growth. 



Lactose. — There is no growth. 



Saccharose. — There is no growth. 



Agar plate. — There is no growth. 



Bee-larva' agar. — The inoculations must be made with the medium liquefied. 

 The growth takes place near to but rarely on the surface. Cultures must 

 pass thru a few generations before a satisfactory surface growth can be 

 secured. 



Bee-larvw agar slant. — On the surface of this medium a thin, gray, nonviscid 

 growth takes place. 



Glucose agar. — Slight growth has been observed in the medium. No gas is 

 produced. 



Potato. — There is no growth. 



Milk. — There is no growth. 



Litmus milk. — There is no growth. 



Fermentation. — In bee-larv;T? bouillon no gas is produced. 



Indol. — There is no growth in sugar-free bouillon. 



THE SO-CALLED " PICKLE BROOD." 



The name " pickle brood '' was given by Dr. William R. Howard, of 

 Fort Worth, Tex., to a disorder foinid in the brood of bees. He 

 stated that the cause of the disease was a specific fungus which he 

 called Aspergillus poUinis. His results have not been confirmed by 

 other investigators. 



The bee keepers are sustaining a loss from a diseased condition in 

 their apiaries wdiich they are diagnosing as " pickle brood." The 

 larva? usually die late in the larval stage. Most of them are found 

 on end in the cell, the head frequently blackened and the body of a 

 watery, granular consistency. 



The following table gives a summary of the results of an examina- 

 tion of specimens received labeled " pickle brood : " 



Results of examination of specimens of so-called " pickle brood." 



The results of the examinations show that Aspergillus pollinis was 

 not found. Further investigations must be made before any conclu- 

 sion can be drawn as to the real cause of this trouble. 



THE SO-CALLED " BLACK BROOD." 



In 1890 some specimens of diseased brood were sent from New 

 York State to Dr. William R. Howard, of Fort Worth, Tex., and 

 unfortunately, after a short and inadequate study of the disease, he 



