Wax Adulterations. 



Editor Bee Journal : Please give 

 some simple test to apply to comb 

 foundation to ascertain if the wax is 

 pure. J. Crawford. 



The "United States Dispensatory" 

 gives the following tests for detecting 

 adulterations of beeswax : 



" To detect paraffine in wax, heat it 

 with fuming sulphuric acid, which de- 

 stroys the wax, converting it into a 

 black, jelly-like mass, while the paraf- 

 fine is left as a transparent layer on the 

 surface." — American Jour, of Pharm., 

 xxxiv., 35. 



" M. Dullo treats the adulterated wax 

 with ether. If this dissolves more than 

 50 per cent, the presence of paraffine 

 is indicated." 



The "National Dispensatory" gives 

 the following tests : 



" The admixture of fats may be de- 

 tected by the acrid odor of the vapors 

 given off, on throwing the suspected 

 Avax upon red-hot charcoal." 



" Adulterations with Hour, white lead 

 and similar substances are readily de- 

 tected by their insolubility in ether and 

 oil of turpentine, and by subsiding or 

 mixing with hot water on fusing the 

 wax with it." 



i^°The Central Michigan Convention 

 was held at Lansing on the 15th ult. It 

 was a large and enthusiastic meeting. 

 Papers were read as follows : By Geo. 

 L. Perry, on "Comb Foundation;" by 

 Stephen P. Perry, on " Water for Bees;" 

 by President Ashworth, on "Breeding 

 Queens ;" by Professor A. J. Cook, on 

 " Some Curious Honey Gatherers of 

 Colorado." The experience in winter- 

 ing was generally favorable. None had 

 lost except a few who had fed their bees 

 on glucose. One member had lost 40 

 colonies, which he attributed to this 

 cause. Among the topics discussed 

 were " Spring Dwindling," " Dollar 

 Queens," " Queen Bearing," "Putting 

 up Honey," etc. The following officers 

 were elected: President, W. J. Ash- 

 worth ; Secretary, George -L. Perry ; 

 Treasurer, Mrs. L. B. Baker. The next 

 session will be held at Lansing on the 

 first Thursday of October. The official 

 report will appear in our next issue. 



215 



igjTThe Rev. James W. Shearer, a 

 vigorous and pleasant apicultural 

 writer and speaker, was bereaved on 

 the 10th ult. by the loss of his affection- 

 ate wife. We sympathize with him in 

 this affliction. 



P'Mr. J. Beyer, Butlerville, Ind., 

 has sent us a sample of his Italians. 

 They are very line and well marked; 

 they were chilled by the cold weather 

 while coming in the mails. 



HITA swarm is reported by Mr. D. S. 

 Haines, of Edwardsville, Kan., from an 

 Italian colony on April 23 ; it settled 

 near by, and was hived and went to 

 work at once. He says : " It is the ear- 

 liest swarm I ever knew in this latitude ; 

 my bees have been gathering much from 

 fruit bloom, which will account for it, 

 perhaps." Several earlier ones are re- 

 ported even further north than that this 

 year, where the weather was propitious 

 and the colonies had been breeding 

 largely and were very strong. 



ig°We have received several num- 

 bers of the " Humboldt Library," being 

 a reprint of the popular expositions of 

 science by the foremost writers of the 

 time, in cheap form. Each number is 

 complete in itself, and contains from 32 

 to 48 pages, as may be required to give 

 the complete copy of the author. The 

 price (15 cents for any number) brings 

 it within the reach of all. The works 

 here republished in a year would cost 

 $30 or $40, while, in this cheap form, 

 they will cost but $3. They can be ob- 

 tained of any newsdealer or of the pub- 

 lishers, J. Fitzgerald & Co., 294 Broad- 

 way, New York. 



Catalogues of Supplies.— In addition 

 to those already enumerated, we have re- 

 ceived circulars and price lists from the 

 following dealers : 



I. S. Crowfoot, Hartford, Wis. 



W. R. Field, Richland, N. Y. 



S. P. Blomilev & Co., La Grange, Wis. 



Charles Olm, Fond du Lac. Wis 



L. H. Pammel, Jr., La Crosse, W is. 



Henry Alley, Wenham, Mass. ' 



Scovell & Anderson, Columbus, Kan. 



S. Valentine, Double Pipe Creek, Md. 



