120 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Feb. 15. 



bloom. Different States are asking legislative 

 aid to help the honey show at the World's Fair. 

 Prof. Cook, in his president's address at the 

 Michigan convention, urged a law against 

 spraying fruit-trees in bloom. About three- 

 fourths of the convention were with him. They 

 appointed a permanent committee on legisla- 

 tion. 



SoKE-THKOAT REMEDY, from the Mcdiccil 



Amm. tinct. guaiac - - - 4 drachms. 

 Comp. tinct. cinchona? - - - 4 " 

 Potass, chlor. ' " " " *^ !! 



Extracted honey - - - - 4 



Powd. acacise - - - - q. s. 



Water ------ 2^4 ounces. 



To be used as a gargle, and a teaspoon ful 

 may be swallowed every second hour. 



gENElR^Ii C01^^EgP0NDE]SICE. 



RENDERING COMBS WITH SULPHURIC ACID. 



HOW TO GET THE MOST WAX POSSIBLE OUT OF 

 OLD COMB. 



After reading E. France's article on render- 

 ing old combs into wax, on page 15, I thought 

 I could give you a better plan, and one 

 which would take that dark-colored wax and 

 make it into as nice wax as any vou ever saw. 

 It will be so clear, that, when melted, you can 

 see to the bottom of a dipperful, looking like 

 wine. By this plan you can take the refuse of 

 cakes of wax, that which is scraped off the bot- 

 tom after cooling, and looks like sand, and 

 make it into as nice wax as can be made. This 

 last season we had a barrel of this dark stuff, 

 which looked like dirt, and you would have 

 said it was not worth the trouble; but I put it 

 through the process, and got from it 60 lbs. of 

 yellow wax, worth at least S15. 



APPAItATUS FOK RENDEKING REFUSE WAX AVITII 

 SULPHURIC ACID. 



I know that iron or galvanized iron will turn 

 wax a dark color. I went to quite a little ex- 

 pense rigging up steam-pipes, and tanks of gal- 

 vanized iron for my foundation business. The 

 first melting did not show much, but after 



melting the scraps over three times I stopped 

 making and tried to find out what was the 

 matter. I knew the wax at first was all right, 

 and concluded, after a while, it was either the 

 galvanized iron or steam of too high pressure. 

 I then went to work, tore down all the fixtures, 

 and went back to melting in a large wooden 

 tub. This wax, whicli was almost a dark green, 

 I put through my pi'ocess of melting, and had 

 yellow wax again. My plan, whereby I can 

 render 100 lbs. of wax from old combs in three 

 hours, is as follows: Get a barrel that is good and 

 strong, and '^s steam-pipe, long enough to reach 

 from a steam-boiler to the bottom of the barrel. 

 Copper pipe would be better, but I l^nd the 

 small surface of the pipe touching the wax does 

 not make any appreciable difference. You 

 want a valve to shut off the steam, four pieces 

 of pipe five inches long, an elbow, a cross, and 

 three caps. In the pieces of pipe five inches 

 long drill three ^V^inch holes, spaced about two 

 inches apart: screw an elbow on the bottom of 

 the pipe coming from the steam-boiler: then 

 one of the short pieces of pipe in the elbow: 

 now screw on the cross, then the three pieces of 

 pipe, and put a cap on the end of each. Turn 

 the pipes until the small holes point all one 

 way, so the steam in issuing will set the water 

 whirling. Now fill the barrel one-fourth full 

 of clear water. Put in one pound of sulphuric 

 acid: turn on the steam, and when boiling put 

 in the old combs. Let all boil until heated 

 thoroughly, and stir with a large stick at the 

 same time. 



Now you will want a press. Mine is simply 

 a box made lai'ge enough to hold three racks, 

 made of ?g^x3-2-inch square sticks 15 inches long, 

 nailed to two end pieces 15 inches long, so there 

 will be V inch between the slats. In the bot- 

 tom of the box I have a tin dish one inch deep, 

 and it just slips down inside nicely. At one 

 side the tin is turned down, and a hole is made 

 in the bottom of the box for the wax and water 

 to run out. Get a rim two inches wide and 

 twelve inches square made from ,?^-inch stuff, 

 and three pieces of burlap three feet square. 

 Lay one of the racks in the tin dish in the bot- 

 tom of the box: on this the two-inch rim; over 

 this one of the pieces of burlap. Press the bur- 

 laps down in the rim, and dip the melted wax 

 over into it until full to the top of the rim. 

 Bring the burlaps over the top: take out the 

 rim; lay another rack on top of this, and so 

 proceed until you have the three filled: then 

 place a follower on top of all, and a common 

 jack-screw on top of the follower. Make a 

 frame out of 2x4 scantling to go under the box 

 and come to the top of the jack-screw. You 

 will want two bolts to go through the top and 

 bottom pieces of the frame. Have them of 'X 

 round iron, and sci-ew the nuts up tight. Put 

 the top piece of the frame over the jack-screw, 

 and turn the screw slowly so as to give a chance 

 for the wax to run out. After it has stopped 

 running, take out the refuse, and you will find 

 the wax nearly out. You could not get out of a 

 barrel of comb, after pressing, if it wei"e possible 

 to get it out, over a teacupful of wax. We have 

 tried a number of ways, but the above is the best. 



I tried an arrangement inside of a barrel to 

 continually stir the comb: and over the comb, 

 under water six inches. I had a screen to keep 

 refuse from rising. I thought all the wax 

 would in time rise to the top, but more stayed 

 under the screen than came to the top. I also 

 tried keeping two barrels of comb, that was 

 thoroughly broken u]), moist with water for two 

 years, to see if I could not rot the cocoons and 

 pollen so it would he like dirt. If I could rot it. 

 I could get out all the wax, and not make me a 

 press, but simply melt it in water, and the dirt 

 would settle. This was a failure. The smell 



