368 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL. 



frames at a time apparently "stuck to- 

 gether as tight as wax." What that 

 half bushel or less of bees which should 

 be in that hive, are doing while these 

 "stuck up" frames are being hauled 

 out, is not shown in the engraving. 

 What a man can tolerate when working 

 and sweating along the line in the direc- 

 tion his own conceit leadeth, no man 

 knoweth. 



ADUI/rERATION OF HONEY. 



All past history of honey adulteration 

 teaches that the most effective way to 

 combat this sneaking business is to ex- 

 pose the true character of every thiev- 

 ing adulterator, and advertise them so 

 widely that their business won't go. 

 "Silence " is the most endearing word 

 in human language — to the dark-lantern 

 man. 



Christiansburg, Ky. 



Renlerlns Comte Into fax. 



Written for the American Bee Journal 



BY CHAS. DADANT & SON. 



The very best method of all to render 

 clean comb into wax is by sun-heat. The 

 sun wax-extractor of some shape is an 

 indispensable adjunct of a well-con- 

 ducted apiary. The only case in which 

 the sun wax-extractor can render no 

 service of any value, is when the combs 

 are so old and thick that all the wax, 

 when melted in the sun, would be ab- 

 sorbed by the residues. In this case, 

 we melt the combs with water. In the 

 first place, the combs should be crushed 

 as well as possible while cold and brittle, 

 to break the cocoons or cast-skins of the 

 larvse, which, if left entire, would in 

 many cases encase small particles of 

 wax w'hich it would be impossible to 

 dislodge. Then these combs should be 

 soaked in water for a few days to 

 dampen all the impurities and prevent 

 them from becoming soaked with melted 

 wax. 



The wax will be lighter if clean water 

 is used when melting, as the water in 

 which the combs are allowed to soak will 

 be quite darkened by the soaking. 



The combs should be melted in soft or 

 rain water, in any kind of tin or copper 

 boiler, the boiler kept about two-thirds 

 full, and heated slowly to prevent boil- 

 ing over. If the floor around the stove 

 is kept wet, any wax that may drop, 

 may be easily peeled off. During the 

 melting, lower into the boiler a sieve 

 made of a piece of wire-cloth bent in the 



shape of a dipper, from which you will 

 dip out the wax with a ladle as it strains 

 into it. If the whole is thoroughly 

 stirred and well heated with plenty of 

 water, very little wax will be left. 



The wax that is dipped out can be put 

 into any kind of a vessel, and later on 

 remelted with water and allowed to cool 

 slowly to thoroughly purify it. The 

 slower the wax cools, the cleaner it will 

 be, as the impurities settle to the bottom. 

 As a matter of course, cappings and 

 bright combs can be rendered in the 

 same way. 



When wax is once damaged by burn- 

 ing, it is very difficult to bring it back to 

 its natural color without the help of 

 acids, and for this reason it is important 

 to melt it properly the first time. 



The above directions have been given 

 by us to a number of our leading honey- 

 producers who had found it difficult to 

 render their combs properly, and we do 

 not know of a single instance where 

 they have not succeeded, when the direc- 

 tions were properly followed. 



We would advise all bee-keepers to 

 have a special vessel or boiler, in which 

 to render up their wax, which should be 

 used for no other purpose, for it is very 

 difficult to cleanse a boiler that has been 

 used for wax so as to employ it for other 

 purposes, and the house-wife cannot be 

 blamed if she objects to her wash-boiler 

 being used in anything relating to the 

 honey-bee. 



Hamilton, Ills. 



Sweet Cloyer— A Governineiit Report 



The following description of sweet 

 clover and also illustration, is taken 

 from the "Report of the Botanist, De- 

 partment of Agriculture, in 1884." It 

 is perhaps the best picture of the plant 

 ever printed in a bee-paper, and its de- 

 scription is very clear and full. We are 

 indebted to Mr. M. M. Baldridge, of St. 

 Charles, Ills., for both the descriptive 

 matter and the engraving, as he had 

 preserved it from an old Report issued by 

 the Department of Agriculture seven or 

 eight years ago, and brought it to us a 

 short time since. Here it is in full : 



MKI.IT.OTUS AI,BA — Sirpff Clopfr ; Ritkhara i'lovfr 



A biennial plant of the order Legum,i- 

 nosa'; nearly related to the clovers. It 

 has a long, tough root which penetrates 

 deeply in the soil, sending out its fibrous 



