8:5 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE 



February, 1918 



almost sure to burst the burlap. (If you 

 burst the burlap just once you will always 

 afterward be careful.) Turn the screws 

 down only as fast as they turn easily, there- 

 fore. As soon as they turn a little hard, 

 wait until some of the wax and hot water 

 have had a chance to ooze out. It is all 

 right to apply considerable pressure when 

 the screws have been turned down, nearly to 

 the limit, for then the " cheese " contains 

 so little liquid that there is practically no 

 danger of bursting the burlap. 



As soon as the can has been slid under 

 the press, fill the empty boiler (No. 1) two- 

 thirds full of hot water again from the bot- 

 tom of the barrel and put it on the stove by 

 the press. Put boiler No. 2 (which should 

 now be full of partly melted comb) on the 

 other stove to finish heating for the next 

 pressing. 



In order to make the process continuous, 

 start putting comb in boiler No. 1 again, 

 now on the stove by the press. Two lots of 

 comb are thus in the process of heating at 

 the same time, the one to be pressed next 

 being the nearest finished, while the other 

 is just starting. 



As soon as the screws are down practical- 

 ly as far as they will go, release the pres- 

 sure, turning the screws up out of the way; 

 lift boiler No. 1 temporarily off the stove 

 and pull the press-can out on to it. Cover it 

 with short boards cleated together and leave 

 it in this position until it comes to a boil, 



then quickly slide back under the press and 

 press again. Eepeat this process until the 

 batch has been pressed three times. Be- 

 tween pressings always draw the can out 

 over the fire to come to a boil. The object 

 of this is to permit the refuse to become 

 saturated again with boiling water. Heating 

 to the boiling-point between each pressing 

 makes possible a saving of about two per 

 cent of wax. Whenever the press-can is not 

 occupying the stove the boiler should be put 

 back over it, so that the heat will not be 

 wasted. The contents of this boiler, there- 

 fore, has the intermittent heating while one 

 batch is pressing, then during the pressing of 

 the next batch it is transferred to the other 

 stove where it has constant heating so that 

 it will be ready by the time the press is 

 empty again. 



As soon as the screws have been turned 

 down for the third time, practically as far 

 as they will go, place a third boiler under 

 the gate while the screws are still down and 

 open the gate. Catch a dipperful of the 

 water as it first comes out of the press and 

 set it on the floor. When all the wax and 

 water have run out, splash the hot water 

 in the dipper over the follower while the 

 screws are still turned down, thus rinsing 

 off the coating of hot wax. Then tip up one 

 end of the press so as to drain out the last 

 of the water and wax into the boiler. Pour 

 this hot water and wax immediately into the 

 barrel and cover with the old carpet. The 



While it sounds like a tedious process yet as a matter of fact it is possible to press a batch of 40 

 combs every 45 minuteis. Thirteen batches were pressed! in a single day yielding in all 142 pounds of clean 

 yellow wax. The small cake on top about % inch thick represents the amount of wax in a boiler after one 

 batch is pressed, — about 10 pounds. 



