PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY THE W T FALCONER MANFG CO 



VOL. II. 



JULY, 1892. 



ISO. 7. 



Foul Brood — Its Cause. 



BY C. J. ROBINS! IN. 



" The foul brood question, its ori- 

 gin," as discussed in your leafier for 

 June, while not perhaps correct in all 

 that was set forth by its author, is in 

 its most important part true in fact. 

 No question is or ever has been raised 

 over the cause of the so-called foul 

 brood, appearing occasionally in col- 

 onies by reason of the virus having 

 been trasferred from infected colo- 

 nies. Such is the order of nature. 

 ' A little leaven leaveneth the whole 

 lump " The query in the case is, where- 

 of cometh the "leaven?" It is sup- 

 posed by those who base their conclu- 

 sions on mere suppositions that foul 

 brood was in the beginning a distinct 

 creation — a foul destroyer, and cre- 

 ated for no other end or purpose by 

 Him who designed all His works for 

 good in His wisdom. Reason, under- 

 thought and reflection calls to mind 

 that all terrestrial matter is subject to 

 change, thus changing the character 

 of various matter and things. By 

 reason of the organic changes through 

 the action of the so-called fermenta- 

 tion, all flesh the moment vitality 

 ceases to exist therein begins to change 

 its properties, and under certain con- 



ditions passes through distinct changes 

 by way of evolution. Everybody is 

 cognizant of the action of fruit juice 

 that contains saccharine matter when 

 kept in a warm temperature. If ox- 

 ygen (air) be not perfectly excluded' 

 as in perfect canning of fruit, fer- 

 mentation sets in, evolving in the 

 first stage wine, which is a composi- 

 tion chiefly of water, acid and alco- 

 hol. This stage is called vinous fer- 

 mentation. In case fermentation 

 is allowed to proceed to the second 

 stage an acid (vinegar) is evolved. 



All cooks know that yeast may be 

 generated by various mixtures, such 

 as potato flour, milk and sugar, and 

 after yeast has fermented a little of 

 the leaven is of such vitality that it 

 can convert any amount of starchy or 

 saccharine matter into changed ele- 

 ments. In like manner bee brood 

 while in its chrysalis state is pecul- 

 iarly subject to fermentation. 



The brood in its early stages be- 

 comes chilled or starved — dead mat- 

 ter, which inevitably undergoes a 

 change or changes of elements. Now 

 in case certain conditions are present 

 at the time or soon after the death, 

 a rapid or active fermentation of the 

 brood - matter takes place, which 



