76 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAj 



Light ; in politics, a Prohibitionist, hav- 

 ing been placed upon his party's ticket 

 as candidate for Representative. 



We had the pleasure of naeeting Bro. 

 Michael just before the North American 

 convention last fall. He is one of the 

 substantial and practical men in apicul- 

 ture, and one that should let his light 

 shine more, whether it be an old light or 

 " New Light." In our business dealings 

 with him we have ever found him 

 prompt, pleasant, and always ready to 

 do the right thing. 



CONDUCTED BY 



MRS. JENNIE ATCHLEY. 



BeeviIjLE. Texas. 



Two Foul-Brood Propositions. 



On page 301, of the American Bee 

 Journal for Sept. 7, 1893, a request 

 was published to send me specimens of 

 foul brood for microscopical examina- 

 tion ; this request was made by Mrs. 

 Jennie Atchley, whose desire it was to 

 have the subject thoroughly investi- 

 gated, trusting to me, entirely, the 

 course to be pursued. 



This was the means of furnishing me 

 with specimens of foul brood from sev- 

 eral sources, from which I have made 

 more than one hundred cultures. For 

 the benefit of bacteriologists, I will 

 state that the culture media employed 

 were potato, gelatine on plates and in 

 tubes, and stab cultures in agar-agar. 



Proposition I. — That the queen does 

 deposit eggs in cells containing the dark, 

 coffee-colored dried mass, resulting from 

 the drying of the viscid, ropy remains of 

 foul brood, which, though tougher than 

 the wax, yet easily dissolved in water, 

 contains the germs of foul brood with 

 sufficient vitality to produce the disease. 



Proposition II. — That honey is stored 

 by the bees in these foul brood cells, and 

 sometimes capped, thereby retaining the 



germs of foul brood as long as the comb 

 lasts; that the honey in these cells is 

 not detrimental to the vitality of either 

 the spores or baelili which are produc- 

 tive of the disease, and that in such cells 

 the spores and bacilli are found sus- 

 pended in the honey still retaining their 

 vitality. 



I received from Hon. R. L. Taylor, of 

 Lapeer, Mich., Sept. 11, 1893, the first 

 specimen of foul brood, which contained 

 brood five to six days old up to sealed 

 brood. On careful examination, it was 

 found that the youngest brood was dis- 

 eased, and in a few cells there was the 

 brown, dried mass of foul brood which 

 attracted my attention, and cultures 

 were made from these dried masses, and 

 also from those found in the empty cells, 

 and besides bacillus alvei, other micro- 

 organisms were found, which I shall 

 merely mention here. 



The next important specimen was re- 

 ceived from D. D. Johnson, of Summit 

 Mills, Pa.; this was interesting, as many 

 cells contained the dried mass, the re- 

 mains of the foul brood, though the cells 

 were empty ; besides, dead sealed and 

 unsealed brood. This was received on 

 Sept. 19, 1893. 



From C. P. McKinnon, of Bangor, 

 Iowa, on Sept. 27, 1893, I received a 

 very foul specimen which was found to 

 contain the same as the first. Cultures 

 were made from each of these specimens. 



No one up to this time had sent combs 

 containing honey, which I hoped to re- 

 ceive, so I wrote to Wm. McEvoy, of 

 Woodburn, Ont., asking him to send me 

 combs of foul brood with honey in the 

 adjacent cells ; and not receiving word 

 from him in due time, I addressed him 

 a second time, stating explicitly what I 

 wanted. He sent me two combs, six by 

 eight inches, containing brood of all 

 ages, foul brood in all stages, and honey 

 stored by the bees in the adjacent cells, 

 some of which were capped or sealed. 

 It was the foulest mess I ever saw, and 

 the foulest smell I ever smelt. Of this 

 specimen I sent to Mrs. Jennie Atchley, 

 of Beeville, Tex., a piece four inches 

 square, out of the worst, and in a few 

 days received the following regarding its 

 character: "It is sure enough foul, 

 and as dangerous as yellow fever." :rn 



The work of dissecting these combs 

 revealed the same facts as before in re- 

 gard to the young brood in the foul cells; 

 and further, in regard to the honey very 

 few of the cells were sealed. In nearly 

 all of the unsealed cells was found the 

 hard, dark coffee-colored mass of de- 

 cayed foul brood, containing the spores 

 and bacilli of foul brood. To make sure 



