586 



GLEAxXIXGS IN BEE CULTURK 



JULY 1 



ditches. In some cases the sides of the 

 ditch erode, and in any case the ditches 

 themselves occupy considerable area, ren- 

 dering- that portion of the land useless for 

 crop production. This objection is very 

 nicely overcome by the use of tile-drains in 

 place of the open ditches. The four inches 

 of water gradually percolates down into 

 the tile, carrying with it large quantities 

 •of the alkali, which is then carried away. 



This plan is being used in some of our 

 western States and Territories with very 

 satisfactory results, and the author express- 

 es the hope that much of the alkali land of 

 our great West can be permanently re- 

 claimed for the growing of some of our im- 

 portant crops, as, for example, alfalfa. 



The reader will now understand why the 

 reclamation of these waste lands may be of 

 supreme interest to the bee-keeper. It is 

 well known that the available good bee- 

 territory in the United States is becoming 

 limited; and it is only by utilizing the 

 deserts, turning them into productive coun- 

 try, that more territory can be made avail- 

 able. If the experiments now being con- 

 ducted in various portions of the United 

 States shall continue to prove successful, 

 there will be millions of acres opened up for 

 homes for ranchers, and last, but not least, 

 bee-keepers. 



We shall be glad to have any of our sub- 

 scribers who are near some of these places 

 where experiments of this kind are being 

 carried on post us as to the result of them, 

 for I can not imagine any thing more im- 

 portant than this one question of new ter- 

 ritory unoccupied, and which can be made 

 available for our friends the bees. 



ARE BLACK AND FOUL BROOD ONE AND THE 

 SAME THING? A REPORT FROM THE DE- 

 PARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE OF 

 THE STATE OF NEW YORK. 



A REPORT has been issued from the De- 

 partment of Agriculture of the State of New 

 York upon the investigation of infectious 

 bee-diseases, by Veranus A. Moore and G. 

 Franklin White, of the New York State 

 Veterinary College, Cornell University. 

 Specimens of black, pickled, and foul brood 

 have been submitted to each of the above 

 named, and pure cultures made. On page 

 7 of this report a somewhat surprising 

 statement is made, that foul and black 

 brood are one and the same, and I copy that 

 portion of it. 



It was thought at first that the bacillus so constantly 

 associated with the " black brood " was the organism 

 described by Howard as Bacillus millii wbicli lie pro- 

 nounced to be the cause of the "New York bee-disease" 

 or " black brood. " A more extended study of this or- 

 ganism, however, showed that it did not correspond 

 to the description given by Howard, but, to our sur- 

 prise, it did not resemble Bacillus alvri of Cheshire 

 and Cheyne. A very careful study of this organism 

 from the different specimens of " black brood " con- 

 firmed the identity oT the species from the different 

 sources. While there seem lO be slight variations of 

 this organism from the description o\ Bacillus alvei r^- 

 cently published by Harrison there are no differences 

 that can not be attributed to differences in the nature 

 of the media, temperature of cultivation, and, possi- 

 bly in addition to the.se, influences of environment be- 

 fore the cultures were originally made. 



And on page 9 we find the following: 



The most striking differences between the various 

 specimens of brood sent to us as " black brood " and 

 the description of " foul brood " is, that most, but not 

 all, of the dead larvae in our specimens were not vis- 

 cid. The specimens we received labeled as " foul 

 brood " differed very little in their general character 

 from those of "black brood." The " pickle brood " 

 specimens varied. Some of them were apparently 

 identical with the " foul brood, " while others present- 

 ed a var.etj' of changes in the larvce. The micrococci 

 found in the first specimens of "pickle brood" were 

 thought for a time to be the cause, but thus far we 

 have not obtained satisfactory evidence to that effect. 



You will remember that, some time ago, 

 Dr. W. R. Howard, of Fort Worth, Texas, 

 at the suggestion of this journal, . made 

 some quite exhaustive researches into the 

 general character of the New York bee-dis- 

 ease, or black brood. Specimens of the 

 affected combs from the inspectors of New 

 York were sent to Dr. Howard, who, after 

 some extended study with his microscope, 

 during which something like 1000 slides of 

 the diseased matter were examined, report- 

 ed through these columns that he had found 

 the microbe that was the cause of this new 

 disease that was responsible for the loss of 

 so many colonies in Central and Eastern 

 New York. He designated the microbe as 

 Bacillus millii. He is a skillful bacteriol- 

 ogist, and fully realized the importance of 

 separating and isolating the said microbe, 

 making pure cultures of it. Whether his 

 conclusions were properly drawn is not for 

 me to say; but this is true, that the black 

 brood that / have seen differs in several 

 important respects from the ordinary foul 

 brood, and the inspectors of New York 

 State have been unanimous, if I am correct, 

 in the verdict that black brcod has alto- 

 gether different characteristics from the 

 other disease more commonly known. The 

 dead matter of the former has a gelatinous 

 character, and only slightly ropy or stringy, 

 while that of the latter is decidedly ropy 

 and gluey, with a distinct odor like that of 

 any ordinary glue-pot. If there is any ap- 

 preciable smell present at all in black 

 brood (and usually there is none) it is 

 sour. Black brood seems'to spread a little 

 more easily; that is, it is a little more con- 

 tagious. While it is true the same treat- 

 ment, the "McEvoy," cures both diseases, 

 the black, when it does get started, seems 

 to be more destructive, and more difficult 

 to bring under direct control. 



It should be said, however, that there are 

 some bee-keepers in New York who claim 

 there is no difference between black and 

 foul brood; that they are one and the same 

 disease; and even Inspector McEvo}', of 

 Canada, whose opinion certainly should 

 carry some weight, has expressed the same 

 opinion. 



This is a matter that will bear further 

 investigation. It is possible that foul brood 

 under different environments will show dif- 

 ferent symptoms, but I should hardly sus- 

 pect it. I have seen samples of what was 

 reported to be black brood that had a sour 

 odor, that was scarcely ropy, and yet was 

 devastating the whole yard of bees in spite 

 of all the owner could do. 



