knew
nothing of it until he moved from Long Island to Oneida County, in this
State. Mr. Weeks, in a communication to the N.E. Farmer, says, "Since
the potato rot commenced, I have lost one-fourth of my stocks annually,
by this disease;" at the same time adds his fears, that "this race of
insects will become extinct from this cause, if not arrested." (Perhaps
I ought to mention, that he speaks of it as attacking the "chrysalis"
instead of the larva; but as every thing else about it agrees exactly,
there is but little, doubt of its being all one thing.)

MY OWN EXPERIENCE.

My first experience will probably go back to a date beyond many others;
it is almost twenty years since the first case was noticed. I had kept
bees but four or five years when I discovered it in one of my best
stocks; in fact, it was No. 1 in May and first of June. It cast no
swarm through the summer; and now, instead of being crowded with bees,
it contained but very few; so few, that I dared not attempt to winter
it. What was the matter? I had then never dreamed of ascertaining the
condition of a stock while there were bees in the way, but was like the
unskilful physician who is obliged to wait for the death of his
patient, that he may dissect and discover the cause. I accordingly
consigned what few bees there were to the "brimstone pit."

DESCRIPTION OF DISEASE.

A "_post mortem_" examination revealed the following circumstances:
Nine-tenths of the breeding-cells were found to contain young bees in
the larva state, stretched out at full length, sealed over, dead,
black, putrid, and emitting a disagreeable stench. Now here was one
link in the chain of cause and effect. I learned why there was a
scarcity of bees in the hive. What should have constituted their
increase, had died in the cells; none of them were removed,
consequently but few cells, where any bees could be matured, were left.

THE CAUSE UNCERTAIN.

But when I attempted the next link in the chain (to wit) What caused
the death of this brood just at this stage of development? I was
obliged to stop. Not the least satisfaction could be obtained. All
inquiries among the bee-keepers of my acquaintance were met with
profound ignorance. They had "never heard of it!" No work on bees that
I consulted ever mentioned it.

Subsequently, I had more stocks in the same situation. I found,
whenever the disease existed to any extent, that the few bees matured
were insufficient to replace thos