10 MEETING OF INSPECTORS OF APIARIES. 
Ti would perhaps be well for the inspectors of apiaries in the 
United States to be organized in some way so that there might be 
greater uniformity in the work and more harmonious cooperation. 
In Butfalo several years ago such an association was organized. At 
that time Mr. France, Mr. Hutchinson, and several others met to- 
gether and organized an association of bee inspectors of the United 
States and Canada, but they had only an organization meeting and 
have never met since. Such an organization is desirable, but per- 
haps not all of those that would care to take part in the association 
are present. 
Doctor White will now give us a demonstration on the brood dis- 
eases of bees, a subject on which he has made exhaustive studies. 
THE BACTERIOLOGY OF BEE DISEASES.¢ 
By Goh} Wirt eho 
Of the U. S. Department of Agriculture. 
The object of this paper is to discuss briefly the science of bacteri- 
ology as it is used in the study of bee diseases and to give a summary 
of the results of my work on these diseased conditions. 
In our discussion of bacteriology, or the science which deals with 
bacteria, it may be well to consider the subject under the following 
headings: (1) The nature of bacteria; (2) their distribution; (3) the 
methods for studying them, and (4) the results of their activity. 
THE NATURE OF BACTERIA. 
Bacteria are considered by some scientists to be a form of life 
lower than either animals or plants, but by the majority of authors 
they are looked upon as plants, and we shall so consider them at this 
time without going into a detailed discussion of the arguments in 
favor of such a view. Bacteria, often referred to as germs, microbes, 
or parasites, ave, then, very small plants, so small indeed that they 
must be magnified 600 diameters or more before they can be seen. 
a At the meeting of the inspectors of apiaries Doctor White gave a demon- 
stration of the work which he has done on the brood diseases of bees, showing, 
in illustration of his address, slides and cultures of the various bacteria under 
consideration. In view of this fact the stenographic report of his address is not 
clear on all points, since the demonstrations are lacking. It has, therefore, 
seemed best for Doctor White to write the article here published, giving a 
popular discussion of this phase of the work which would ‘be intelligible without 
the demonstration. The substance of his remarks is all included in this paper 
except the part pertaining to the work of other bacteriologists, which is dwelt 
on at some length in the article herein published on ‘‘ The Present Status of 
3ee Disease Investigation.”” This method of handling the subject in a published 
report will make the subject much clearer to those who did not attend the 
ineeting at San Antonio.—H. F. P. : 
