MOORE AND WHITE, JANUARY 15, 1903. 59 
likewise. Ten samples of diseased brood were therefore examined 
which corresponded in gross appearance to the symptoms of the dis- 
ease which Cheshire and Cheyne reported, and the bacteriological 
examination of these 10 samples revealed the presence of Bacillus 
alvei in numbers sufficient to lead one to suspect a causal relation of 
the organism to the disease. The conclusion that would be drawn 
from these facts regarding the disease, in the absence of Howard’s 
work, very naturally would be that it is not a new disease, but simply 
‘‘foul brood.” 
It was necessary now to weigh the evidence which Howard pro- 
duced in support of the view that the disease was new. Howard 
received 5 samples from Mr.’ West and reported the presence of 
“Bacillus miliw”’ in all of them, “‘Bacillus thoracis”’ in 2, and “‘Asper- 
gulus pollind”’ in 1, but nothing was found in the samples of so-called 
‘black brood” received and examined by Moore and White which 
could be identified as either species. The experimental data which 
Howard offered in support of his view was also very unsatisfactory. 
In view of all these facts the authors of the report under considera- 
tion drew the conclusion: ‘‘ That the prevailing disease [so-called 
black brood] in this State [New York] is very similar to, if not 
identical with, the ‘foul brood’ of other States, Canada, and Europe.” 
This conclusion means that the disease, which the people of New 
York State were taught by Howard to be a new disease and which 
he chose to call ‘‘The New York bee disease”’ or ‘‘black brood,’’ is 
not a new one, but is the one which Cheshire and Cheyne agreed was 
‘‘foul brood.” 
Various inoculation experiments were now tried for the purpose of 
demonstrating whether or not Bacillus alvei is the cause of a brood 
disease. Several methods of inoculation which had been used by 
others in attempting to produce the disease in healthy brood experi- 
mentally were employed, but always with negative results. The 
most logical way to make the inoculation and the one which might 
be expected to give the most accurate results, very naturally, is by 
feeding the bees. This was tried with the hope that it would give 
the most accurate results. 
The inoculation of one colony only is reported. A colony free 
from disease was fed, on August 4, sugar sirup, to which was added 
the spores of Bacillus alvei taken from agar plates and the vegetative 
form of the same species taken from fresh bouillon cultures. Simi- 
lar feedings were given to the bees three times per week until Sep- 
tember 28, but the symptoms of ‘‘black brood” did not appear. The 
results of this experiment, therefore, were negative, as were all the 
others as far as the producing of the disease was concerned. To 
make sure that some of the culture fed had reached the larve, cul- 
