888 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



July 15 



handle. From this amount of slumgum we got 

 54 pounds of wax, or about 14 per cent. 



This seems quite a large percentage, and I ad- 

 mit that I was surprised at the amount of wax ob- 

 tained. However, those figures do not indicate 

 that 14 per cent of the wax was left, as the 380 

 pounds of slumgum was the residue of 520 pounds 

 of wax previously extracted. In other words, out 

 of 574 pounds of available wax, 54 pounds, or 

 about 9,'/2 per cent, was left in the mass. 



Then, again, some of this slumgum was saved 

 at a time when I was not using the press in a 

 proper manner; and it was noticeable that the 

 slumgum of this winter's saving did not yield as 

 much wax as did that of four years ago. 



As nearly as I can figure, the way I use the 

 Hatch-Gemmil press at present I have about 8 

 per cent of the available wax in the slumgum. I 

 say "available," because I find that, with any 

 process, some wax will be left; and, after repeat- 

 ed pressing for two hours under hot water, mi- 

 nute wax globules would continue to rise to the 

 surface while using the hot-water machine. 



In using this type a large amount of reserve 

 hot water is absolutely necessary. We used a 

 large agricultural furnace for heating and dissolv- 

 ing the slumgum, and an oil-stove kept a large 

 boiler of water hot; yet our hot-water supply was 

 not nearly plentiful enough. Four days' time 

 was occupied in getting that 54 pounds of wax; 

 so when fuel for the stoves is counted there is no 

 great margin for handling the stuff. No doubt 

 those who make a specialty of handling large 

 quantities of slumgum have better facilities than 

 we; but 100 pounds, or thereabout, is as much as 

 we could handle in a day. The four days men- 

 tioned included the remelting of the wax. 



Mention has been made of not using ihe press 

 properly, and I wish to say that such is quite pos- 

 sible with the hot-water machine too. Before 

 being shipped to me a friend had used this press 

 in rendering quite a quantity of combs into wax. 

 He obtained only a little over one pound of wax 

 to every five Langstroth combs; and I am convinc- 

 ed that he made the cheese too thick, as on an av- 

 erage three Langstroth combs should yield about 

 one pcund of wax. Formerly I filled the form 

 tou full when using the Hatch-Gemmil press, and 

 I now see the mistake of that course. As I use 

 the pi ess now, care is taken that the pressed cheese 

 be not over ^4 in. thick. When pressed it should 

 be quite dry; if over ^4 inch thick, and mushy, 

 you are leaving a lot of wax. Vou will leave 

 enough anyv\ay. 



It is advisable to have leather straps on top of 

 '.he follower; and, after pressure is all on, reverse 

 iii2 screw, lift out the follower, and saturate the 

 mass with a couple of dipperfuls of water. Re- 

 pl.;ce I'.ie follower and press again, and with ordi- 

 nar\ care a good job is assured. 



A number have asked me what press I would 

 get if buying now; and in answer I can only say 

 that each will have to use his own judgment. 

 Certainly for the bee-keeper with a few colonies 

 1 would recommend a press of the Hatch-Gemmil 

 style. With the extensive bee-keeper it may be 

 a different matter; but personally, even if I keep 

 the hot-water machine, I shall certainly not dis- 

 card my old standby, the Hatch-Gemmil — at 

 least not until I see things differently than I do 

 now. 



Just a word as to the quality of the wax obtain- 

 ed from this slumgum. When we consider the 

 nature of the stuff handled — moldy, mussy, and 

 some of it as black as lampblack, believe it is 

 casting no reflection on the hot-water system 

 when we admit that the wax obtained is of very 

 poor quality. Of the 54 pounds, 25 pounds has 

 been melted twice, the rest once since taken from 

 the press. Even the 25 pounds is very dark, and 

 the smell of it is strong, not at all like the aroma 

 of ordinary wax. While I expect to be able to 

 sell it, yet I would not think of sending it to the 

 manufacturers who get my wax at other times. 

 If absolutely necessary I can use sulphuric acid, 

 but I will not do so unless I have no alternative. 

 Be it understood I do not blame the machine for 

 the poor quality of the wax, as I am certain that 

 wax from the same source, no matter how ob- 

 tained, will necessarily be of inferior quality. As 

 yet I have not tried this hot-water press with 

 combs, so I can give no data along that line; but 

 my experience so far convinces me that not near- 

 ly as rapid work can be done as with the unheat- 

 ed press. With any considerable quantity of old 

 combs to melt I first run through the old press, 

 and afterward, if necessary, reheat and put the 

 residr.^ t!" 1 u^h the heated press — i. e. , after quite 

 a quantliv of the slumgum has been accumulated. 



In conclusion let me urge every bee-keeper, 

 e,en if he keep only a dozen or more colonies, to 

 get some kind of press. He certainly will have 

 it proved to him, after having used it, that it was 

 a paying investment. If he is one of those who 

 get "all the wax" without a press, of course he 

 doesn't need to pay any attention to the advice 

 given. But candidly I don't believe any such 

 bee-keepers live in America. 



Mount Joy, Ont. 



[Our experience in using the Hatch-Gemmil 

 press has shown us quite conclusively that the 

 plan of pouring hot water over the cheese, and 

 pressing again, though taking less time, does not 

 give nearly as good results as the plan of throw- 

 ing out the cheese after all the wax possible is ob- 

 tained by the first pressing, and melting it up 

 again afterward. The trouble with the first plan 

 is that the cheese remains in the same position rel- 

 atively, and the wax does not have so good a 

 chance to escape as it would if the particles of the 

 mass were entirely rearranged, so to speak. If 

 the slumgum were gone over the second time in the 

 Hatch-Gemmil machine it would take only a lit- 

 tle over half as long as the first treatment, and we 

 feel sure that the final loss could be reduced to 3 

 per cent. — Ed.] 



-. .««««»» 



BREEDING DOMESTIC ANIMALS FOR 



LOUSINESS. 



Crossing Wild and Tame Species to 

 Strengthen the Stock. 



B\ VV. K. MORRISON. 



Some fun has been poked at the Texan bee- 

 keepers on account of their method of producing 

 a new breed of bees. In justice it ought to be 

 pointed out that Luther Burbank works on the 

 same lines in producing new varieties of fruits, 

 namely, by hybridizing distinct species of plants, 

 and also by crossing distinct varieties with quite 



