58 HISTORICAL NOTES ON BEE DISEASES. 
him. It is to be regretted if the duties in his new position limit his 
activity in this line of research. 
Moore AND WHITE, JANUARY 15, 1903. 
In the spring of 1902 Moore, assisted by one of the writers of this 
bulletin, began the investigation of the bee diseases that were present 
in the State of New York. Neither was familiar with the manifesta- 
tions of the different diseases attacking bees, further than the infor- 
mation which could be obtained from the publications of Cheshire and 
Cheyne, Howard, Harrison, and data obtained directly from the four 
inspectors of apiaries of that State—Messrs. West, Stevens, Stewart, 
and Wright. The samples of brood examined were received from 
these inspectors with the diagonsis of each sample already made. 
The first report 1 which was made to the commissioner of agriculture 
of that State on the investigation gives a brief account of the exami- 
nation of 10 samples labeled ‘‘black brood,” 7 samples labeled ‘‘foul 
brood,”’ and 5 samples labeled ‘‘pickled brood.”’ 
William R. Howard, it will be remembered (p. 44), received samples 
of diseased brood from N. D. West, of New York. He examined them 
and reported the disease as new, naming it ‘‘New York State bee 
disease”’ or ‘‘black brood.’’ He ascribed the cause of the disease to 
a bacillus, to which he gave the name Bacillus mili. The 10 samples 
labeled. ‘‘black brood,” and examined by the authors of the paper 
under consideration, were all from New York State and 7 of them 
were diagnosed by Mr. West. 
The bacterial findings recorded by Moore and White show that 
Bacillus alver was present in all the samples, while there is no record 
of Bacillus milii in any of them. Other bacteria, which appeared in 
most instances to be micrococci, were occasionally associated with 
Bacillus alver. The absence of any bacillus corresponding to the 
description of Bacillus mili in these samples of so-called ‘‘black 
brood”’ was strong evidence that such a species was not the cause of 
the disorder. 
The question naturally arose as to whether this trouble was a new 
disease, as Howard had led the people to believe. In forming an 
opinion as to whether a new disease existed, the work of Howard and 
others was considered. Cheshire and Cheyne (p. 25) had described 
the symptoms of ‘‘foul brood” and had apparently found Bacillus 
alvei present in sufficient numbers to suspect this species as the cause 
of the disease. Harrison (p. 48) had found a species in ‘‘foul brood” 
_which he had identified as Bacillus alver. Lambotte (p. 53) had done 
1 Moore, Veranus A., M. D.,and G. Franklin White, B. S., January 15,1903. A preliminary investigation 
into the cause of the infectious bee disease prevailing in the State of New York. State of New York, Depart- 
ment of Agriculture, Tenth Annual Report of the Commissioner of Agriculture, for the year 1902, pp. 
255-260, two plates. 

