and its Economic Management. 127 
into destructive germs according to his conditions of living 
or vitality. It has even been suggested that though in 
perfect health, within his mouth may be found disease 
germs identical with those accompanying that dreaded 
malady diphtheria. And why should not the unsanitary 
conditions presented by our  proposition—the _ living, 
feeding and breeding among the rotting dead—why 
should they not, I say, result in organic disease? Then 
we have to admit that every colony carries within itself 
the primary seeds of disease which lie dormant while a 
natural vitality is maintained, and sanitary conditions are 
ensured. On the other hand, with the contrary conditions 
presented we arrive at the origin of foul brood, as 
distinguished from infection. 
Foul Brood without Infection. 
It is my intention to show that foul brood can and does 
appear in a district hitherto free from the disease without 
importation from any existing affected hives. 
Nearly 40 years ago I had my first great battle with 
the dreaded destroyer. I should be correct in saying it 
was my only great battle with foul brood; for I fought, 
and conquered, and that too at a period when less was 
known about the complaint than at the present day. And 
from that time to this I have had only occasional 
experiences, solely with bees bought; sometimes from 
irresponsible people, whom I would be inclined to believe 
hardly knew what the malady really was. 
However, in my own hands, these cases were always 
isolated, and my original stocks were never contaminated. 
The diseased bees were very soon on nothing but healthy 
brood, and I have often had to regret, as I do at the 
present day, that I have no material wherewith to carry 
out further experiments. 
