156 
JOCRNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ February 19, la?’. 
for the growth of youth, while honey is simply a heat giver ; but 
give adult bees infected food, and the result would be the same, 
to a degree at any rate. But where is the origin of the germs that 
cause foul brood ? In my experiments v/ith germs I have found 
from three to five different sorts from one source besides 
animalculee. 
I lately observed a writer condemning hives covered with old 
bags, as if anything uncleanly from them would enter the hives ! 
The bags referred to were in fact a benefit rather than otherwise, 
as they were of an antiseptic nature. Had that writer turned 
his attention to the pools where bees sip much moisture, and 
probably carry home directly the germs of disease, he would 
have been doing good had he told us how to keep the bees 
away. Honey may not have the contagion, nor yet the pollen, 
but the water may, and when mixed with the other two, under 
certain conditions the germs become active, and disease and death 
follow. 
The most extraordinary statement made is that, “ When bees 
are gathering honey freely almost any method succeeds.” This is 
also the opposite to our recorded experience, as I fully proved 
between the years 1860 and 1862, the warmer the weather and the 
hive, the more virulent was the disease. Nothing incites the 
disease quicker than overheating, which affects both honey and 
pollen. Although my strong stocks have been sometimes forty- 
eight hours on a journey, the precautions I used against 
overheating and the radical means I took to cure nearly fifty hives 
by the purgatorial ” process, I have not seen a diseased cell 
amongst my hives for thirty years. Some years ago I gave to a 
neighbour several swarms, and in spite of my advice not to feed 
with honey taken from diseased stocks, he did so, with the 
result that both in a few weeks were affected in a virulent 
form. 
Others near me, whose hives are never free from the disease, 
perpetuate it by feeding with honey. I do not know a single 
bee-keeper in this country nor in America that has succeeded°in 
curing foul brood with] acids, but can point to hundreds of hives 
cured by the P. process. With the latter everything that is likely 
to be contagious is removed, the bees alone being preserved, means 
being taken to purge from them as well as the queen that which 
13 likely to infect. In the former case everything is allowed to 
remain in the hive, trusting to the form of acid used to perform 
the cure. Which, then, is the most reasonable method ? I cannot 
say that it is a question of “doctors differing,” but simply one 
rational the other irrational. Foul brood is to be dreaded, and 
the most simple way of avoiding it is rather to keep hives cool 
than to stifle them by contracting them into lictle space as recom¬ 
mended by some modern bee-keepers. 
To investigate the disease thoroughly, tracing its whole history, 
many years would elapse, and even then mysteries will crop up. 
We cannot destroy nature, but that which by negligence threatens 
to destroy the useful, and beautiful can by proper attention and 
common sense keep the enemy in check. Foul brood germs may 
be latent for ten or twenty years, breaking out only when the 
hygiene of the hive has been neglected and under climatic 
influence favourable to the development of the disease. I am a 
strong believer in the old fact, that one germ or even fungus 
-destroys the power of another, and am also of the opinion that 
this has been the case in more than one instance in my own apiary ; 
and I know full well that the evidence on our side is greater that 
the purgatorial process is a success than the other, that it has 
“ thoroughly proved a failure,” 
Keep your hives in a healthy state by attention to Nature’s 
laws, and foul brood will not disturb the bees much ; but if it 
should appear try the plan as I have advised, and it will surprise 
many more besides myself if you should fail to effect a cure more 
quickly and satisfactorily than any other method yet devised._ 
A Lanarkshire Bee-keeper. 
•** All correspondence should be directed either to “ The 
Editor” or to “The Publisher.” Letters addressed to 
Dr. Hogg or members of the staff often remain unopened 
unavoidably. We request that no one will write privately 
to any of our correspondents, as doing so subjects them to 
unjustifiable trouble and expense. 
Correspondents should not mix up on the same sheet questions 
relating to Gardening and those on Bee subjects, and should 
never send more than two or three questions at once. All 
articles intended for insertion should be written on one side of 
the paper only. We cannot reply to questions through the 
post, and we do not undertake to return rejected communica¬ 
tions. 
Oleander (J". F. G).—Your letter shall have attention. It arrived 
too late for being satisfactorily answered this week. 
XVlarRetlngr Fruits (^Scotia). —If you can give references to or 
indicate the articles to which you allude we shall be in a better position 
to answer your question. 
Eucbarlses Unhealthy (iJ. J.'). —The box and bulbs were much 
crushed in transit, but we examined the latter and failed to find any 
Eucharis mite. Their appearance suggests an imperfectly drained soil 
and a too liberal supply of water. 
Troublesome Boiler (ff. B .').—If the pipe from the feed cistern 
does not enter the lowest or return pipe close to the boiler, or the 
bottom of the boiler itseP, the little alteration suggested may perhaps 
prevent the boiling over. If a feed cistern is full when the water is 
cold some of it is bound to be forced out when the water is heated in 
consequence of its expansion. 
Stable Bralnlngs (F. S.'). —There is no need to mix potash with 
stable drainings unless you particularly wish that form of manure, then 
you may add 1 lb. kainit to every 100 gallons of liquid. It will not 
thieken the drainings to any material extent. Wood ashes are good 
chiefly in affording potash, but stable drainings that do not contain a 
large quantity of water used in washing down contain enough potash 
for any crop. 
Starting- Vines QF. J.'). —It would have been better to have 
admitted air freely and kept the Vines dormant until they started 
naturally in March or April, when they would have grown away 
without check. A little stable litter on the outside border will not 
do any harm, but a thiek coating, by excluding air, does more harm 
than good in the case of cool houses. There is no need to put any 
inside, or only a little as a mulch in a few weeks time. 
Sulphate of Iron (J. A.'). —Mix the sulphate with sand, and apply 
whilst the ground is wet. It has been found in America that the best 
prevention of Apple scab (Cladosporium dentriticum) is to spray the 
trees with a solution composed of IJ ounce of carbonate of copper, 
1 quart liquid ammonia, and 90 quarts of water, at intervals of about 
two weeks from the fruit setting to the middle of August, surpassing in 
results the soda hyposulphite hitherto.used for that purpose; in fact, 
the beneficial results were nearly doubled in comparative experiments. 
The weak solution of iron sulphate is to be used over the trees before 
they come into leaf as a means of destroying the spores of the fungus, 
the ground dressing being for a similar purpose. The gas lime is cer¬ 
tainly objectionable for a time near a house, but you may try the effect 
of iron sulphate at the rate of f lb. per square rod (30J square yards), 
mixing with sand to insure equal distribution. Gas lime, however, is 
effectual against clubbing. We shall be glad to attend to further 
questions. 
Fungus on Mushrooms (A. IF. P.'). —The specimens sent have 
been examined by Mr. Worthington G. Smith, who says “ The Mush¬ 
rooms are attacked by a parasitic mould named Mycogone alba. This 
is frequent on Mushrooms, and, I believe, it makes them dangerous to 
eat. When there is not much of it. it is not very apparent. At length 
it covers the gills; sometimes, but rarely, the stem and top. They 
generally remain firm and sound, not decaying, as in this case.” As 
you say the enemy seems to thrive on salt and water, perhaps this may 
have accounted for the change. If the beds are in a house it would be 
a good plan to take advantage of an opportunity to clear them out and 
disinfect the structure. 
Iilcben on Xawn (A. E.'). —The plant infesting your lawn is a 
species of Lichen, and indicates that the ground is not well drained and 
the turf weak. The following would be the best course for you to adopt. 
During the present month, as soon as the weather permits, apply a 
dressing of well-decayed manure, spreading it evenly, and letting it 
remain until the close of March, then with an iron rake scratch the 
ground well forwards and backwards, which will assist in getting in the 
manure and form an open surface. Early in April remove the loose 
portions of the manure by raking it evenly, and any stones should at 
the same time be removed. This will form a good tilth for the Grass 
