Remedies for Foul Brood, 405 
with marvelous rapidity; and henc~ the horrors of yellow 
fever, scarlatina and cholera. 
To cure such diseases the fungi must be killed. To pre- 
vent their spread the spores must be destroyed, or else 
confined. But as these are so small, so light, and so invisi- 
ble—easily borne and wafted by the slightest zephyr of 
summer, this is often a matter of the utmost difficulty. 
In “foul brood” these germs feed on the larve of the 
bees, and thus convert life and vigor into death and decay. 
If we can kill this miniature forest of the hive, and destroy 
the spores, we shall extirpate the terrible plague. 
Some of the facts connected with “foul brood” would 
lead us to think that the germs or spores of this fungus are 
only conveyed in the honey. This supposition, alone, 
enables us to understand one of the remedies. which some 
of our ablest apiarists hold to be entirely sure. 
REMEDIES. 
If we can fin! a substance that will prove fatal to the 
microbes and yet not injure the bees, the probl-m is solved. 
Our German scientists, those masters in scientific research 
and discovery, have found this valuable fungicide in sali- 
cylic acid, an extract from the same willows that give us 
pollen and nectar. This cheap white powder is easily 
soluble in alcohol, and, when mixed with borax, in water. 
Mr. Hilbert, one of the most thoughtful of German bee- 
keepers, was the first to effect a radical cure of foul brood 
in his apiary by the use of this substance. He dissolved 
fifty grains of ‘the acid in five hundred grains of pure 
spirits. One drop of this in a grain o° distilled water is 
the mixture he applied. Mr.C. F. Muth, from whom the 
above facts as to Herr Hilbert are gathered, suggests a 
vari tion in the mixture. 
Mr. Muth suggests an improvement, which takes advan- 
tage of the fact that the acid, which alone is very insoluble 
in water, is, when mixed with borax, soluble, His recipe 
is as follows: Eight grains of salicylic acid, eight grains 
of soda-borax, and one ounce of water. This remedy is 
applied as follows: First, uncap all the brood, then throw 
the fluid over the comb in a fine spray. This will not 
