14 BEES-WAX AND ITS ECONOMICAL USES. 



the pail E. As soon as the latter is full, the tap is opened, 

 the water then flows into the basin F, and is put back 

 into the wax-kettle, that the wax may remain boiling, 

 which would not happen if cold water were added. 

 When the pressing is finished the water is allowed to 

 run away. 



In order to free the so-called raw wax, obtained in 

 this way, from any impurities which it may still 

 contain, it is melted once more in a copper half-filled 

 with water, well stirred for a few minutes, and then 

 left for about two hours over a moderate fire, not being 

 allowed to boil. When the kettle is taken off the fire, 

 the scum is taken off and the cake of wax allowed to get 

 hard. The impurities in the wax have now partly sunk 

 to the bottom of the kettle and are partly attached to 

 the under side of the cake, from which they are scraped 

 with a knife. Many bee-keepers repeat this melting 

 a second time, and thus are able to get a better and purer 

 wax. 



THE ADULTERATION AND ANALYSIS OF WAX. 



It does not redound to the credit of the present age 

 that it is often called the century of adulteration, but 

 this is not to be wondered at. The evil spirit of adultera- 

 tion has crept into all branches of handicraft, so that now 

 the adjective ' pure 'can be applied to only very few 

 articles of commerce. Of late attempts have been made 

 to supplant the honey of our bees by any available sub- 

 stitutes, and it is no better with regard to wax. 

 Tallow, stearin, vegetable wax, earth wax (ozokerit), 

 and other inferior kinds of wax are mixed with bees-wax, 

 and are sold as such in the trade. 



* The adulterations of wax,' writes Dr. A. von Planta, 

 1 are so difficult to detect, that it is scarcely practicable 

 for those who are not experts. Pure bees-wax melts a,t 

 C-3'5 0. T have tried the melting point of twenty-five 

 such pure specimens of bees-wax obtained from different 

 countries, and it entirely agreed with that stated above.' 

 But since adulteration has been effected with earth-wax, 

 paraffine, and animal fats, the melting point does not 



