l')09 



GLEANINCiS IN BEE CULTURE. 



137 



In October we col- 

 lected our comb-waste 

 from all the yards, and 

 prepared for wax-ren- 

 dering. First, our small 

 one-horse-power steam- 

 boiler was moved to 

 within ten feet of the 

 shop. A half-inch pipe 

 was run from the boiler 

 into the shop, where it 

 met another half-inch 

 pipe, perhaps 12 feet 

 long. Leading down- 

 ward from this long 

 pipe, at intervals of per- 

 haps 3 to 5 feet, were 

 short pieces of the same 

 size of pipe, each suppli- 

 ed with a good valve. 

 From two of these a 

 short piece of steam- 

 hose led to another 

 piece of the same size of 

 pipe, perhaps four feet 

 long. We would take 

 8 to 12 or more combs, 

 thrust a pointed rod 

 through them at the 

 lower corners, and sus- 

 pend them in a barrel, 

 covering with a piece of 

 heavy cloth. One of the 

 pipes with steam-hose 

 connection was put into 

 the barrel, and steam 

 turned on. When these 

 combs were melting, 

 another barrel was being 

 loaded in the same way. 

 The number of barrels 

 that can be kept run- 

 ning depends only on 

 the amount of steam 

 that is available. 



From the other pipes, 

 short pieces of steam- 

 hose led to the L pipes 



which heated the presses, as shown in the cut. 

 As some details of these presses are different 

 from those that have been described, I will 

 briefly specify, so that any one may construct 

 similar presses. 



Cross-beams at top and bottom, hard wood, 

 4X6, on edge; screws, 1 ^4 -inch jack-screws; up- 

 right irons, %-inch, steel rods; brace-irons, VsX 

 \U\ steel bands, bolted to 4X4's at front and 

 rear, and flattened where passing over the 4X6 at 

 top, with i g-inch holes through which pass upper 

 ends of the "s-inch rods, with heavy nuts on top. 

 The foundations are simply high hive-stands 

 built to hold two hives. The box is of 1 !4^-inch 

 lumber, put together with halved joints, with gal- 

 vanized-iron bottom, all joints put together with 

 white lead. In the illustration of the single press, 

 the slatted rack may be seen in the bottom of the 

 box. To tne sides are nailed strips :^iX HX9, 

 Is inch apart. 



In the view of the two presses, one follower is 

 shown, standing on the box. It is composed of 

 a 16X 16X2-inch plank, hard wood, cross-cleated 



INTERIOR OF ATW.ATEK S STEAM-PRESS. 



with the same material, 2X8X16, bolted with.y^^ 

 bolts, and a handle of j% rod provided as shown. 



The other side of this follower is shown in the 

 lower part of the view of the single press. At the 

 rear of each box or pan is an L-shaped pipe which 

 enters at the middle of the lower back side. This 

 has a short piece of hose for attaching to the steam- 

 pipes. The slotted rack in the bottom of the 

 box is notched on its lower side so as to permit 

 the steam to circulate freely. 



Now. we can return to our barrels of melting 

 comb. We find that most of the comb has dis- 

 appeared from the frames, or has settled in the 

 lower corners of the frames. We shake it loose 

 from each frame, scrape a little with an old case- 

 knife, and replace the frame in the hive. You 

 see that the wires are not broken or cut, only a 

 little stretched, so after another scalding they are 

 ready for filling with foundation again. When 

 a barrel is half full of melted comb we prepare to 

 fill the presses. We put a piece of burlap, per- 

 haps 4 feet square, into the press, turn on the 

 steam to heat the press, and after a moment we 



