AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



685 



By this time I found that I had un- 

 dertaken more than I had anticipated. 

 The work was begun systematically, and 

 prosecuted with great care, from a bac- 

 teriological standpoint. I put all the 

 writers on the subject on trial, hoping 

 that out of confusion and chaos, to bring 

 some new light that might aid us in 

 stamping out this dreadful and destruc- 

 tive plague. 



Foul brood is strictly an infectious 

 disease ; the germs producing it must 

 come in actual contact with the brood 

 in order to establish it. A history of 

 the germ, or bacillus of foul brood will 

 be of interest, and enable us to better 

 understand the nature of the disease. 

 Like all disease-producing germs, bacil- 

 Uis alvei in active growth evolves pois- 

 ons, chemical in nature, which are de- 

 structive to life ; these poisonous com- 

 pounds are called ptomaines. When 

 these germs are introduced from with- 

 out to healthy brood, the food provided 

 by the nurse-bees being a nutrient 

 medium, active growth at once takes 

 place ; poisonous compounds result, and 

 the death of the brood may result from 

 these, the germs themselves, or their 

 combined action. In all cases of foul 

 brood these bacilli are found. 



I have formulated a proposition, which 

 states in substance that the decomposi- 

 tion of chilled or dead brood does not 

 produce foul brood, or that putrefactive 

 non-disease producing germs cannot pro- 

 duce those of a disease-producing char- 

 acter, which I have not the time to 

 elaborate fully now, but will give it 

 passing mention. 



For a disease-producing germ to pro- 

 duce one of the opposite character, there 

 would be a time in its life that it would 

 possess all of these characteristics at 

 once ; this is too absurd to believe, it is 

 like being nothing and something at the 

 same time; just imagine the magnitude 

 of a turning-point, where nothing ceased 

 to be nothing to become something. If 

 it were true that the germs of foul 

 brood floated in the air, as stated by 

 some, there would be no cure from any 

 method, as there is no barrier against 

 them, and no brood could be reared at 

 all. 



There is one more interesting point 

 worthy of mention. Many putrefactive 

 air-germs produce these deadly com- 

 pounds just mentioned, but dead brood 

 alone is attacked by these putrefactive 

 germs and not live brood. If we have 

 dead and decayed brood from any cause, 

 it will, through these agencies, create a 

 stench in the hive, the rotten mass will 

 settle to the lower side of the cell, and 



dry with all its poisonous chemical com- 

 pounds and be no more likely to be re- 

 moved by the bees than if it were ma- 

 lignant foul brood ; if eggs are deposited 

 in these cells, the liquid food provided 

 the nurse-bees dissolves this poison, it 

 becomes a part of the food of the larvse, 

 forming poisonous compounds, resulting 

 in death to the brood ; but this is not 

 malignant foul brood— it is only death 

 from poisoning ; even if the honey con- 

 tained a portion of this poison, disease 

 could not result from or carry this from 

 one hive to another, as it would be so 

 much diluted that it would not spread 

 the disease, as does the contaminated 

 honey bearing the bacilli of foul brood 

 which attacks and destroys live brood. 

 Here the remedy is simple — remove the 

 dead brood, and your cure is perfect. 



In malignant foul brood honey is 

 stored, and sometimes sealed in the cells 

 containing the dried remains which con- 

 tain the germs, preserving them indefi- 

 nitely. How, then, can medicated syrup 

 be of any value in such cases ? Thus we 

 come to the conclusion that any method 

 which has not for its object the removal 

 of the germs and their poisonous com- 

 pounds entirely from within the reach 

 of the brood, is useless. Mr. McEvoy 

 has this object in view, and effectually 

 does the work. 



I have not the time to notice the fal- 

 lacies of other writers who advocate 

 medicated syrups in the treatment of 

 this disease. A work is now in press 

 which gives in detail all of the experi- 

 ments made in this line; and a review 

 of the work of the prominent writers on 

 this disease. Wm. R. Howakd. 



The convention then adjourned to 

 meet at 8 p.m., in the office of factory. 



FIRST DAY — NIGHT MEETING, 



The convention met, and the first sub- 

 ject discussed was the value of untested 

 queens, queens by mail, etc. One had 

 purchased ten untested queens from a 

 breeder in Dallas county, and all had 

 proved worthless except one, and he 

 congratulated himself that he had one 

 ten-dollar queen. 



Another had purchased eight queens 

 from a breeder —he had one good one. 

 Several others had had similar experi- 

 ences. Some of the queens were not 

 prolific, some were drone-layers. Others 

 had had as good untested queens as they 

 ever saw, and thought that the method 

 of rearing had a great deal to do with 

 the vitality and usefulness of queens. 

 They were frequently injured in transit 



