6 FOUL BROOD IN BEES. 



and thorough test ; and, after many failures, he discovered at last 

 a method leading to success, ridding his apiary of disease entirely. 

 But as yet he was the only one claiming success, and when he went 

 to proclaim the same before the National Bee-keepers Association 

 of Germany and Austria, he found few believers ; the more so, as 

 others had — or paid they had— tried the remedy and failed, at the 

 same time advising the use of otiier antiseptics better adapted to 

 the purpose. But most or all of them used or recommended were 

 so poisonous and of such a strong odor that the bees were either 

 killed or left the hive, and nothing short of an inodorous and non- 

 poisonous disinfectant would do, if such could be discovered. 

 This was accomplished by Professor Kolbe, of Germany, who found 

 in salicylic acid a substance po-^sessed of these properties. Mr. 

 Hilbert, on being informed of these properties of salicylic acid, not 

 only disinfected his hives, bees and comb, but mixed it in with 

 honey, which he fed his diseased colonies, thus disinfecting his 

 bees internally as well as externally. Tliough final success has 

 been proven to be readily attainable, it has also been proven that it 

 requires the utmost care, perseverance and intelligence to reach the 

 desired goal. These quite a number of bee-keepers do not exercise, 

 and, after a few superficial, careless trials with salicylic acid, give 

 it up in disgust. They take into consideration only the cost of 

 curing, objecting to buy good honey or sugar and medicine, to 

 effect a cure internally as well as externally, thinking to rid them- 

 selves of all further trouble by cremation. How futile this latter 

 process proves to be they discover very soon, for one colony after 

 another will be infected and succumb, until nothing is left but 

 empty stands to tell the sorry tale of misfortune of their former 

 occupants, and their owner's want of care, precaution and perse- 

 verance — such desolate apiaries, as well as the surrounding coun- 

 try, being entirely unfitted to begin anew for a long time after. 

 Besides that, cremation of useful objects — ejwcially such as bees 

 are — is barbarous, and betrays but a limited degree of intellect ; 

 the more so, when proper remedies are known, to apply which the 

 bee-keeper is too lazy and careless. It reminds one of the dark 

 ages, and does not correspond exactly to our present ideas as to the 

 study of the healing arts ; nor would such a disciple of cremation 

 like tj be treated the same way by some humane M. D., under sim- 

 ilar circumsl ances, to prevent the spreading of disease, like yellow 

 fever, small pox, etc. If some should be narrow-minded enough 

 to rejoin that we, as man, may dominate over animal creation and 



