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Ceresin Wax. 



Editor Journal, : — Will you please 



inform us through the Journal what 



Ceresin wax is, and its uses V Should 



it be used in making comb foundation V 



J. L. Jones. 



Ceresin wax is the name of the 

 purified product obtained from ozocer- 

 ite, an impure fossil wax, found chiefly 

 near the large coal beds of Dwhobriz 

 and Boryslow, in Galicia, and Gresten, 

 in Austria. The crude substance, 

 freed from the sand, clay and other 

 earthly impurities, is of a deep brown 

 color with greenish tint, and has a spec. 

 gr. of 0,9-10—0,970, exhales a benzine- 

 like odor, and in hardness, fracture 

 and pliability entirely resembles bees- 

 wax. It is very combustible, with 

 difficulty solvable in oil of turpentine. 

 It is purified and bleached by means of 

 Nordhausen's sulphuric acid, and in its 

 purest form is used principally as a 

 substitixte for beeswax by manufac- 

 turers of candles, wax flowers, polish- 

 ing pomades, cloth finishers, laundry- 

 men, etc. 



Considerable quantities have already 

 been imported to this country, and 

 some of our friends have, no doubt, 

 made its acquaintance unknowingly, 

 for it has such a surprising resemblance 

 to beeswax that it is used even for 

 pharmaceutical purposes. We are 

 told that it not only retards, but entire- 

 ly prevents rancidity in ointments.— 

 The melting proof is higher than the 

 beeswax. 



As to its use in the manufacture of 

 comb foundation, there can be no tol- 

 eration even for the thought. The 

 one who first used it soon abandoned it 

 in disgust, having paid dearly for his 

 folly. Comb foundation should be 

 made of pure beeswax, and that only. 

 Bees usually refuse to accept of ceresin 

 wax, and only when compelled, for want 

 of room, will they use it in any case. 



We do not believe now that there is 

 any one of our heavy manufacturers of 

 comb foundation that uses anything 

 but the pure wax. 



We had an amusing incident a little 

 while ago, on this wise : 



A man, living about -500 miles from 

 Chicago, ordered 20 lbs. of comb foun- 

 dation of us, which we sent in due 

 time. In about 2 weeks, he WTote to 

 us that it was impure — that his bees 

 would not accept it — that they had torn 

 it down and were gnawing it up, &c., 

 &c., and wanted us to send more, of 

 another make, at once. We replied 

 that it was not impure ; but, to satisfy 

 him, we sent 20 lbs. more, of another 

 make, and had him return the first lot. 

 When it came back, we immediately 

 put it into our own hives, to see what 

 our bees would do with it. To subject 

 it to the best test, we gave it to queen- 

 less colonies, and in 24 hours they had 

 it built out to half-length cells ; inside 

 of a week it was completely built out 

 and filled with nice, white clover honey. 



One piece of that returned, which 

 was doubled up, and out of shape, gen- 

 erally, we partially straightened out, 

 and placed into one of our hives, in the 

 presence of 4 or 6 persons to whom we 

 explained the reason for so doing. — 

 This was, like the rest, accepted at 

 once, and is now full of honey ! Several 

 other pieces is now on our desk as it 

 came back from the purchaser, with 

 the cells partly built out — proving con- 

 clusively that his bees also accepted it, 

 and had commenced work on it. Evi- 

 dently they were well pleased with it, 

 and gathering so multitudinously upon 

 it, that being fastened insecurely, it 

 gave way, dropping down to the bot- 

 tom of the hives. Then in order to get 

 rid of it, he found the bees busy gnaw- 

 ing it to pieces, and carrying it out of 

 their hives. This, we think, is the 

 whole explanation— and though it cost 

 us several dollars to verify our suspi- 

 cions of the cause, still, we think it 

 money well spent. The one who pur- 

 chased it blamed both us and the bees 

 wrongfully, but fortunately we are 

 able to vindicate both. 



It will not always do to conclude too 

 hastily that foundation is made of im- 

 pure wax — the trouble is sometimes 



