274 THE BEE-KEEPERS- REVIEW 



same maker, but of another shipment, and I suppose of a different 

 batch, but anyway it was most awfully, fearfully weary. It would 

 stretch and sag, even slide quite out of the frame and sprawl flat 

 down on the floor, and no sort of encouragement which I could give 

 it served to be of the slightest avail. 



At last I got real suspicious and had a sample analyzed. It was 

 sure-enough pure wax, and I was stumped, tired and disgusted, so I 

 crawled ofif into a shady corner of the orchard and slept my cares 

 away. It is a bully good way to get rid of your trouble, but see to 

 it that you do not snooze near a big ants' nest, or you may liave 

 other troubles, quite several. I did. 



Well, the other day I was nosing about some reference books 

 and technical works, and running across an article on wax, I 

 skimmed through it just sort of idly curious, and bless my stars, 

 if I didn't run plump into what I think may be at the bottom of all 

 the foundation troubles. 



It is not necessary to go into all the chemistry of the matter 

 here, nor would a sketch of the changes be of much value, but it 

 will suffice to refer in a general way to one particular property of 

 wax. When subjected to rather high temperature, it gives ofT sun- 

 dr}^ substances known as "wax oil" and "wax spirits,'' and the heav- 

 ier part becomes a soft unctuous mass known as "wax butter," the 

 term "butter" very nicely describing its consistencv. 



Now it is quite possible, and in the light of results we may say 

 proljable, that sometimes the wax under preparation is raised to 

 such a temperature as to start this change. Or possibly, holding it 

 for a considerable time at a lesser though still high temperature ac- 

 complishes the same change. This "wax butter," so far as firmness 

 and toughness goes, is a long way from beeswax as bee-keepers 

 know it, and but a small ])art of the wax would have to be changed 

 to the butter stage to make the whole body of it soft, and when made 

 into foundation "stretchy."' 



In their efforts to produce a soft, bright, yellow foundation, have 

 not the manufacturers unconsciously produced changes in the wax 

 which are the cause of some of the troubles we have been consid- 

 ering? 



I do not assert that the troubles are caused by the changes I 

 have suggested, but as the processes used for securing "brightness" 

 and "softness" are the very processes which, when used at a high 

 temperature or for a longer time, tend to produce the "butter," I do 

 believe that it is reasonable to suspect those processes. At any rate, 

 it would seem to be the part of wisdom and of good business policy 

 for the manufacturers to investigate the matter. 



This brief is respectfully submitted to the Court. 



