558 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 1 



the comb in one vessel and then dip it over 

 and press in another, such preference surely 

 would not bias him against it, as there is ab- 

 solutely nothing in its construction that 

 would in anywise hinder him from doing so. 

 In fact, it is as well adapted for use in that 

 way as any press could be. Further, the di- 

 rections for operating it explicitly state that, 

 "when rendering comb that contains a large 

 percentage of wax, or in converting cappings 

 into wax by the hot-water process, it is ad- 

 visable to melt the comb or cappings in 

 another boiler and dip out all the wax that 

 can readily be secured," etc. This direction, 

 while strongly suggesting the adaptability of 

 the press for use when not over the fire, does 

 not contemplate the pressing of the cheeses 

 in any other way than in boiling water over 

 the fire. This exception to the directions is 

 made to meet the requirements where the 

 material to be pressed is exceptionally rich 

 in wax, and to enable the making of the 

 cheeses of such thickness as can be most 

 economically pressed. This manner of han- 

 dling cappings or rich comb avoids unneces- 

 sary operations of the press. The hot water 

 may be used as often as is desirable by draw- 

 ing it off into another vessel to be saved 

 while the extracted cheeses are being re- 

 moved, and others, that have been made 

 ready while the extracting of the first lot was 

 in progress, replaced in the extractor, when 

 the hot water may be returned. During the 

 short time necessary to empty and refill the 

 extractor the water will lose but little heat. 



By keeping the water surrounding the 

 cheeses at the boiling-point while pressing, 

 we facilitate the escape of wax from between 

 them as a result of the motion of the water. 

 By releasing the pressure, after it has been 

 on a short time, there is a marked agitation 

 of the water as though it were boiling vio- 

 lently, which is undoubtedly due to the es- 

 cape of steam from the interior of the cheeses, 

 generated there in considerable quantity, and 

 confined by reason of the pressure, but which 

 bursts forth when unrestrained. This es- 

 caping steam operates to open up the cheeses, 

 and, when thus expanded, they absorb hot 

 water to the limit of their capacity. When 

 pressure is resumed, violent agitation of the 

 water again occurs, which is, perhaps, due 

 to forcing the steam from the interior of the 

 cheeses where it has generated and been held 

 from free escape by them, at a more rapid 

 rate than it would escape without pressure. 

 The hot water, being forced from the cheeses 

 by the pressure and steam, conveys the wax 

 with it, and a few repetitions of pressure, 

 under these conditions, will leave the cheeses 

 almost free from wax. Thus the extracting 

 is more thoroughly and rapidly accomplish- 

 ed than is possible where the pressing is 

 done without the aid of boiling water. 



Such injury to wax as obtains from over- 

 heating will result whether the comb is boil- 

 ed in a separate boiler or in the extractor. 

 If the quality of the wax is injured by long- 

 continued heat and boiling, it is necessarily 

 due to the inattention of the operator, no 

 matter what process of cooking and pressing 



is employed. A hot-water wax-press, pos- 

 sessing easy facilities for drawing off the wax 

 as fast as it accumulates on the surface of 

 the water, enables the careful operator to 

 commence drawing off immediately after 

 the first pressing, and as often thereafter as 

 there is an accumulation worth while. 



Theoretically, bringing the temperature of 

 the melted comb slightly above the melting- 

 point of wax is all that is required in ex- 

 tracting; but in practice it is best to bring the 

 material to the boiling-point, as an abun- 

 dance of heat is preferable. We might have 

 too little heat if we tried to have just enough. 

 Short-time boiling has not been found to be 

 appreciably injurious to wax. My experi- 

 ence has been that wax made by the boiling- 

 water process is not discriminated against 

 by the most extensive comb-foundation 

 makers and other large consumers. 



We are able to secure considerable of the 

 last tailings of wax by the hot-water process, 

 not otherwise profitably obtainable. Admit, 

 for the sake of argument, that these last 

 remnants are not obtainable without slight- 

 ly injuring their quality. If we secure such 

 wax we have something of good value we 

 should not otherwise have had, which we 

 should be as foolish to spurn as we should 

 be if we rejected the lower grades of honey. 

 But the quality need not be injured. At all 

 events, let us have more wisdom than Rey- 

 nard, and not regard these last remnants as 

 "sour grapes." 



Buffalo, N. Y. 



WAX-RENDERING. 



Further Comments on the Sibbald Wax- 

 press as Discussed by Mr. Holtermann. 



BY C. A. HATCH. 



I have been looking over Gleanings for 

 Feb. 15, and, of course, saw the Sibbald wax- 

 press article by R. F. Holtermann. If you 

 will look up the matter you will find the 

 same thing in principle described in " Lang- 

 stroth on the Honey-bee," under the head of 

 " The Gary Wax-press, "if my memory serves 

 me right* 



The first press I ever made was identical 

 except the racks, which Mr. Sibbald has cov- 

 ered on both sides with screen wire cloth. 

 This I infer from the picture, as nothing is 

 said about it in the article. In my press the 

 racks were used with no covering. I used it 

 by setting it directly on the stove. Mr. Sib- 

 bald uses another vessel in which to boil the 

 wax, which I can see would be quite an im- 

 provement. He pours water over the press 

 when ready to squeeze — something I never 

 did. He also covers up the press while hot. 

 This, also, I never did. I discarded the ar- 

 rangement as I used it, on account of the 

 mess in getting the pressed slumgum out of 

 the press ready for a new batch. If there 



* We do not find any such reference in Langstroth, 

 either in the new or old editions. We do find a de- 

 scription of the Gary press in the A B C of Bee Culture, 

 old edition.— Ed. 



