132 HOW TO KEEP BEES 



boiler method. The best of these machines for a 

 small apiary is the Swiss extractor, which may be 

 set over a kettle of hot water, like an ordinary vege- 

 table steamer, which it resembles. The comb is 

 placed in a wire basket, which has a cone-shaped 

 bottom, over which the wax flows down as it melts 

 and drains off through a spout into a pan in 

 which it is to be caked. This machine costs only 

 three or four dollars and is simple and excellent; 

 though it takes but comparatively little comb at a 

 time, it keeps up a continual performance and 

 there is no danger whatever of burning the wax. 

 The basket may be replenished from time to time, and 

 a large amount of wax may be extracted in a day 

 while other work is being performed in the room. 

 Mr. Root has an improved Swiss extractor and so 

 has iNIr. D. A. Jones, and both of them are most 

 satisfactory. Mr. Jones's machine is the larger and 

 may be used as an uncapping can as well; the cap- 

 pings when taken off falling directly into the ex- 

 tractor. 



THE WAX-PRESS 



Wax is such a precious product in these days of 

 the manufacture of foundation-comb that every 

 particle of it should be saved. This is quite im- 

 possible with any of the extractors; as the slumgum 

 always holds much wax, to extract which a wax-press 

 is needed. All wax-presses are necessarily rather 

 expensive machines when bought, and not very 

 easily manufactured at home. In some of them the 



