POINTS ABOUT BEESWAX 129 



fall, lest our bees regarding the pungent smoke as a 

 direct invitation should come visiting in embarrassing 

 numbers. 



Sundry old pieces of rag carpet were spread on the 

 floor around the stove to keep the yellow paint intact 

 from the wax, which was so hard to clean off. We 

 had no benzine in those days, and our only resort 

 was boiling hot water, which cleaned off the paint as 

 well as the wax. 



One privilege that was always granted to us 

 children on this day was that of having "our fingers 

 made." As the wax was cooling the finger was 

 dipped in it, and the film was cooled while the finger 

 was held very still; then the film was slipped off, 

 a crucial point in the process, and used as a mould 

 into which was poured the cooling wax; and presto! 

 there was the finger as natural as life to every crease 

 and wrinkle, but with a death-like pallor that 

 rendered the row of fingers thus made a fascinatingly 

 gruesome collection, as if they had been chopped off 

 with a hatchet. 



This old process of rendering wax in the wash- 

 boiler is still practised where apiaries are small. 

 Mr. Root advises the following modification: 

 Sticks are placed crosswise the bottom of the boiler 

 on which the bag is placed; the bag is packed very 

 full of wax by pressing the comb into balls with the 

 hands before it is put in. Water is added and the 

 whole is placed upon the stove and brought slowly 

 to a boil, then a board that acts as a follower on the 

 bag is placed on top with a heavy weight upon it; 



