and its Economic Management. 113 



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 thirty years since 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. 



My early experience was such a very severe lesson, that 

 1 cannot overhaul any hive, however crowded with bees, 

 or combs crammed with brood, without matching sight of 

 the merest speck of diseased brood, and the value of the 

 experience thus gained can be imagined when it is known 

 that in all the years I have sent out bees I have not 

 received one single complaint that disease has followed 



H 



