834 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICULTURE. 



ECONOMY IN TnE PRODUCTION OF WAX. 



Experience liad taiigLt us, in common with all progressive aiiiarists, 

 that ill the i)rodiictiou of wax for houey-comb building there is serious 

 prodigality. Much valuable time is lost and much energy is expended, 

 which, in view of the shortness of the honey-producing season in nearly 

 all parts of the United States, results in a serious reduction of the pos- 

 sible efficiency and honey-producing capacity of bees, and a corre^ 

 sponding curtailment of the profits possible to be realized from the in- 

 dustry. 



To overcome this waste of time and prevent the large consumption of 

 honey required for ])roducing wax for comb-building, the honey-comb 

 foundation machine and the honey-extractor have been almost univer- 

 sally adopted by ])rogressive bee-keepers. 



As another step in economic methods for securing the best results 

 from the cultivation of bees, we have made some experiments in what 

 may be called wax-feeding or furnishing wax. 



The price of bees- wax in the open market ranges from 20 to 35 cents 

 per pound, according to quality, and varying with the supply and de- 

 mand. Estimates can easily be furnished to prove that the production 

 of every pound of wax costs the bee-keeper ten times the sum realized 

 froni its sale. 



]i' account be taken of the loss resulting from having the time and 

 energies of the bees ex])euded in wax-production instead of honey-pro- 

 duction at a season of the year when there is most imperative need for 

 uninternixjted and diligent activity in honey-gathering, and of the value 

 of the honey consumed in producing wax, and of the labor required in 

 jireserving and iireparing the wax for market, it will rejidily be seen 

 that the production of a pound of wax costs the producer many times 

 the current prices realized. About 20 pounds of honey are consumed 

 in ])roducing I jiound of wax. 



if a method of management can be devised and introduced by which 

 the loss sustained in wax-production and comb-building can be still 

 further reduced, a corresponding percentage will be added to the profits 

 of those engaged in tlu^ industry. 



We observed that if pieces of new comb were exposed on a warm day, 

 the bees would tearolT i)iccesof the wax and cany them to their hives 

 for use in coiiib-buihliiig. We then put pieces of new comb in a shallow, 

 square tin pan having a close-fitting cover, and having holes in thebot- 

 tom. This ])an being placed on the cloth covering the comb frames in 

 the hive, holes were cut in the cloth registering uith the holes in the 

 bottom of the pan, thus aflbrding m, ]>a.ssage for tlie bees into the i>an. 

 The heat arising from the bees produced a high tomi)eraturc in the 

 closely-covered pan, keei)ing tiie wax ])lastic and easily worked. When 

 such auxiliary resources were furnished, comb-foundation Avas drawn 

 out an<l coiu[)lete(l with great rapidity, and this work ai)peared to be 

 ])erformed largely by the young bees, aided by the field bees at nigiit, as 

 the comb-building })rogressed more rapidly by night thaii by day. There 

 being uo necessity fur waxpioducing, the working force labored uit.li- 

 out hindrance during the day iu the fields, and witli equal energy by 

 night in the hive. Whenever the si>ace above the frames is not bein.g 

 used lor superstorage this method of furnishing wax may be employed 

 without inconveDienco. 



DEVICE FOR FEEDING SUGAR-SmUP AND FOIi OXnER rUlMM>tfES. 



We have used the same device witli great satisfaction in feeding sugar- 

 sirui:). A rim of tin reaching within half an inch of the cover is soi- 



