72 



THE BEE-KEEPERS' REVIEW 



pressue, take hold of the burlap on the 

 two opposite sides, bring them together 

 with a good lap, and pin with a ten 

 penny nail; then handle the two re- 

 maining sides in the same manner. 

 Now we are ready to remove the form 

 and put another rack on top, the same 

 as was used underneath. Now put on 

 the follower and add the screw-pres- 

 sure. When the wax stops running, 

 loosen up the screw, give the cheese a 

 half turn, and add more pressure. If 

 you have done a good job there will not 

 be a particle of wax left in the slum- 

 gum. One pressure is all that is 

 necessary for a boiler full of cappings; 

 but with old combs we press four or 

 five times, always keeping in mind 

 that the less slumgum put into the 

 press the more perfectly can it be 

 freed from wax. 



UTILIZING THE LAST DROP OF HONEV 

 IN CAPPINGS. 



If you have followed me thus far, 

 you have noticed that, in the process of 

 melting, the honey and wax have never 

 come to the boiling point; hence the 

 flavor of the honey is not injured for 

 vinegar. After the wax cools in the 

 tubs, take off the cake, and empty the 

 honey and water into an open-end bar- 

 rel. After it has stood over night, or 

 until the sediment has settled to the 

 bottom, skim, and dip ofl the top, and 

 you will have as good material for 

 vinegar as it is possible to secure; still 

 more, you will have secured every 

 ounce of sweet there is in the cappings, 

 and that without any extra labor. 

 This material will be much too sweet, 

 but soft water can be added, and the 

 vinegar made in the usual way. We 

 do not use the sweet from old, black 

 brood combs, as it is too black, and 

 dirty. 



CLARIFYING BEESWAX. 



Clarifying beeswax, like everything 

 else, is very simple when you know 



know how. The same boiler is used 

 for this second melting. After a little 

 cleaning around the upper edge, put 

 in a pail of water, then fill with the 

 wax as it comes from the press, only 

 be particular to chop it up fine. Any 

 chunks larger than two inches in 

 diameter should be chopped up with 

 the ax, as we want to melt it with the 

 least possible heat. As in the first melt- 

 ing, the chunks are kept broken apart 

 with a paddle. Give a little more time 

 for the wax to melt, rather than have 

 it boil; and just the minute it is all 

 melted, slide it off the stove the same 

 as before, cover up with two or three 

 thicknesses of blankets, and let stand 

 until there are signs of its caking 

 around the edges. Usually, four or 

 five hours are enough for the impuri- 

 ties to settle to the bottom. After 

 skimming the wax, it is then ready to 

 dip off and cake. Clean 3'our wooden- 

 handled dipper, and dip the wax into 

 flaring-top, tin pails. Don't make 

 the mistake of putting water in the 

 pails. There is a little knack about 

 dipping out the wax in such a manner 

 as not to disturb the sediment any 

 more than possible. Do not think of 

 dipping right in, just as if you were 

 dipping water, but drop the side of the 

 dipper into the wax, say, three-fourth 

 of an inch deep, now carefully sink the 

 bottom of the dipper down into the 

 wax, always keeping the top edge near 

 the surface of the wax. In this way 

 you will be surprised to see how close 

 you can dip to the sediment without 

 disturbing it. Stop dipping as soon 

 as signs of sediment are seen in the 

 dipper, and what is left in the boiler 

 can go in with the next melting. Let me 

 repeat: If you want that soft, nice, 

 pliable wax that is so much in demand 

 in the market, doiiH ever allow your wax 

 to boil in any process of rendering, 



Remus, Mich., Feb. 7, 1905. 



