Tl^ie (|)ee-J\eepeps' jAev^ieCo. 



A MONTHLY JOURNAL 



Devoted to tl^e Interests of Hoqey Producers. 



$1,00 A YEAR. 



W. z. HUTCHINSON, Editor and Proprietor. 



VOL X, 



FLINT. MICHIGAN, 'DEC, 10, 1897. NO. 12. 



THi; CHARACTERISTICS OF FOUL BR(K)D. 



Kxe.ictl\ how to Detect it: .iml Also Exactly 

 How to yet rid of ilie Disease, 



R. L. TAYLOR. 



" Things done well, and with a care,' 

 Exeiiii)t thems -Ives from feur,"— Shakespeare. 



¥HERP: foul 

 brood ex- 

 ists or where its 

 existence is siis- 

 ]iecte(l it is of 

 ]>rinie iiiipor- 

 i a n c e that one 

 have the ability 

 to distinj^iiish it 

 with certainty 

 from every oth- 

 er disease or in- 

 jury. Siinie decree of ])ractical experi- 

 ence of the disease will alone make one 

 an adept in discoverini^ and identifyintj 

 it. yet its peculiarities arc so pronounced 

 that no one havinii ijood eyes and nose 

 and jfivinij attention need be in any doubt 

 in regar.l to its presence. 



The one crucial test is the color and 

 consistency of the dead larvae, affected 

 with the disease, before it dries up. At 



this sta.s^e the matter of the dead larvae is 

 ahvavs viscid or ropy like mucus. There 

 is no foul brood without this characteris- 

 tic, and I may safely say that ^\^th this 

 characteristic there is always foul brood. 

 This last statement however requires ex- 

 planation. In my experience of ten 

 \ears with the disease I conclude that in 

 a few vears it spends its force and loses 

 its vitalitv in a j^ven locality, while it 

 contiiuies to retain in _ the matter of the 

 larvtt in a considerable degree the viscid 

 character. In such case there is hkely 

 to be found but few affected larvai in 

 anv colony, ami with a little experience 

 and care the two conditions are readily dis- 

 tinguished, and in this way: In the weak- 

 ened stage the dead matter is slightly less 

 viscid but a better test is that it is /xi/cr 

 in color. The dead matter of the larvte 

 affected with this disease in its vigor is of 

 the color of coffee when prepared for 

 drinking bv the addition of a moderate 

 amount of milk. In the weakened stage 

 of the diseased the color is perceptibly 

 lighter. To determine the consistency of 

 the dead matter of larvie, insert a sliver 

 or a straw into it and then withdraw it. 

 If the matter pulls out in a string, adher- 

 ing to the sliver, and is of the coffee-color 

 described, it may be set down that foul 

 brood is certainly present; but if it does 



