e that were lost; that the colony
rapidly declined, and _never afterwards cast a swarm_!

REMEDIAL EXPERIMENTS.

As for remedies, I tried pruning out all those combs containing brood,
leaving only such as contained honey, and let the bees construct new
for breeding. It was "no use," these new combs were invariably filled
with diseased brood! The only thing effectual was to drive out the
bees, into an empty hive. In this way, when done in season, I generally
succeeded in rearing a healthy stock. But here was a loss of all
surplus honey, and a swarm or two that might have been obtained from a
healthy one.

PUBLIC INQUIRY AND ANSWERS.

I had so many cases of the kind, that I became somewhat alarmed, and
made inquiry through the Cultivator, (an agricultural paper,) as to a
cause, and remedy, offering a "reward for one that would not fail when
thoroughly tested," &c. Mr. Weeks, in answer, said, "that cold weather
in spring chilling the brood was the cause." (This was several years
prior to his article in the N.E. Farmer.) Another gentleman said, "dead
bees and filth that accumulated during winter, when suffered to remain
in the spring, was the cause." A few years after, another correspondent
appeared in the Cultivator, giving particulars of his experience,
proving very conclusively to himself and many others, that cold was the
cause. Having mislaid the paper containing his article, I will endeavor
to quote correctly from memory. He had "three swarms issue in one day;
the weather during the day changed from very hot to the other extreme,
producing frost in many places the next morning. These swarms had left
but few bees in the old stocks, and the cold forced them up among the
combs for mutual warmth; the brood near the bottom, thus left without
bees to protect it with animal heat, became chilled, and the
consequence was diseased larvae." He then reasoned thus: "If the eggs of
a fowl, at any time near the end of incubation, become chilled from any
cause, it stops all further development. Bees are developed by
continued heat, on the same principle, and a chill produces the same
effect, &c.; afterwards, other swarms issued under precisely similar
circumstances; but these old stocks were covered with a blanket through
the night, which enabled the bees to keep at the bottom of the hive. In
a few days, enough were hatched to render this trouble unnecessary.
These last remained healthy." He further says, that "last spring wa