THE AMERICAN APICULTURIST. 



29 



ture may be ranch stronger. In this 

 case, where the hive is empty, carbolic 

 acid is recommended, as efficient, and 

 much cheaper. It is also well to feed 

 to these bees and indeed all of the bees 

 near hy, a little of the solution, or bet- 

 ter the borax solution, in sweetened 

 water. 



It is a Avell-known fact to the chem- 

 ist, that although many substances are 

 insolul^le in water, they are made 

 readily soluble by adding a second 

 substance. Our good friend Muth has 

 utilized this fact as follows : he adds 

 eight grains of salicylic acid, eight of 

 borax, to one ounce of water with 

 which the l)ees are to be sprayed as be- 

 fore. Mr. Muth now suggests an im- 

 provement: he raalies the solution 

 twice as strong, and after drumming 

 all the bees out into a new hive tilled 

 with foundation, he feeds them syrup 

 or honey, to which he adds one ounce 

 of the solution to eacli quart of the sy- 

 rup. He then extracts the tainted 

 honey, melts the combs, and either 

 burns the hive or else scalds it in boil- 

 ing water for S(ime minutes. Of course 

 the extractor must be well scahled and 

 the honey boiled, after the extracting 

 is done. There is no doubt but that 

 this remedy is sure and reliable, as it 

 is irrefragably proved. The only ques- 

 tion is will it pay in view of the labor, 

 and the danger that a little carelessness 

 will cause the loss of a "mickle" in 

 the attempt to save a little. 



Mr. Jones prefers the "fasting meth- 

 od" of cure. Tlie bees are drummed 

 out into an empty box so thoroughly, 

 that they are full of honey, and then in 

 some cellar or cool place, left for some 

 days, till some of them begin to fall 

 from the cluster, when they are hived 

 in a fresh hive on foundation or nnin- 

 uoculated combs. The hives, comb and 

 honey are treated as before. That this 

 method is also efficient there can be no 

 question. The fact that this method 

 has succeeded in the hands of several 

 proves that the germs are not lodged 

 on the bees but in the honey. Mr. 

 Muth kills the germs by feeding salicy- 

 lic acid ; Mr. Jones causes the bees to 

 fast till the honey and germs are all 

 gone. The question may wisely be 

 considered in this case as in the otlier. 

 "Will it, in view of the labor and danger, 

 pay to attempt a cure. In case I should 

 liave occasion to treat this plague, I 

 should, I think, combine the two 

 operations. In addition to the fast, I 

 would give the medicated syrup to the 

 bees. 



OPPORTUNE SUGGESTIONS. 



In buying bees or queens we canifot 

 be too careful to avoid localities where 

 this disease exists. If we buy of in- 

 telligent honest apiarists, of course 

 we should not get the disease as the 

 man of whom we purchase would know 

 that he had not the plague in his apiary ; 

 or, if such a man had it he could not be 

 induced to sell any colonies. Again, 

 if we know the scourge to be near us 

 so that we are in danger of becoming 

 victims, it may be wise to give our bees 

 access to salicylic acid, either in water, 

 or syrup, so that the bees as they take 

 the germs into the stomach will have 

 the fungicide there to destroy them. 

 M. E. Bertrand, theable editor of Nyon, 

 Switzerland, writes me that this pre- 

 vention has been practised with suc- 

 cess in Europe. 



Mr. President, long as this paper is, 

 I am well aware that the subject has 

 not been exhausted, and I shall watcli 

 with much interest the discussion, as 

 we beekeepers of Michigan are eagerly 

 looking for additional light on this 

 question, in which we are greatly in 

 te rested. 



Hoping that your meeting may be 

 rich to repletion in the wise utterances 

 and kindly feeling that shall abound, 



I am very trulj^, 

 A. J. Cook. 



The question of foul brood was then 

 opened for discussion. 



L. C. Root. — This subject is all 

 important. With the many hinder- 

 ances to beekeeping at the present day 

 it would be very disastrous were this 

 dread malady to return in a malignant 

 form. With the benefits we have in 

 the recorded experiences of those who 

 have tested the matter fully during the 

 past, I feel warranted in saying that 

 foul brood may l)e disposed of in a 

 more economical way tlian to burn or 

 bury the colonies which arc aftected 

 witli it. It is not fair for us to give 

 the hard earned views of those of the 

 past as though they were the results 

 of our own later experiences. 



If we have ideas that are new in re- 

 gard to it, they are earnestly called for; 

 we cannot study it too closely. The 

 tlianks of this association are due Prof. 

 Cook for the fearless manner in which 

 he has treated this subject, and I desire 

 to present the following resolution : 



