8it; 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Oct. 15. 



may build quef^n-cells or they may not. If 

 thoy don't, put in the solid board; and when 

 the cells ai"e started, take out the solid board 

 and put the zinc in its place, and the cells will 

 goon just the same. This raising the second 

 queen in the same colony is a grand key to suc- 

 cess. It succeeds where any sort of introduc- 

 tion fails. But the queens must be kept more 

 than a sheet of perfoiated zinc apart, so I place 

 the old queen on a four-frame res.trictor in one 

 .side of the hive, put in one zinc division-board 

 and slide the entrance-blocks along, and the 

 young queen has the privilege of flying from 

 the hive and returning safely to her own apari- 

 ment, and the bees go on storing honey as usu- 

 al. C. W. Dayton. 

 i^ Clinton, Wis., Sept. 1.5. 



A BEAUTIFUL CARPENTER BEE. 



THE XYLOCOPA. 



The handsome bee received through you from 

 F. I. Tyler, Bakersfield, Cal., is a species of 

 Xylocopa, or carpenter bee. It is as yellow as 

 the yellowest Italian, and is a beautiful addi- 

 tion to our cabinet. It is a new species to our 

 collection, if not to science. I wish I could get 

 eight or ten more like it. In its long abundant 

 hair and yellow color it differs from most car- 

 penter bees, and reminds usof the bumble-bees. 

 Carpenter bees are usually black, blue, or pur- 

 ple. The habits of these carpenter bees are 

 well known. They bore into wood to form their 

 cells, store these wooden cells with pollen, 

 and lay their eggs in this, so that, as soon 

 as the eggs hatch, the little carpenters can 

 have bread (bee-bread) close at hand. We 

 see our friend Aspinwall was not the first 

 to construct wooden cells. These bees frequent- 

 ly tunnel into cornices and window-casings, 

 and do no little mischief. I have frequently 

 recommended the filling of the tunnels with an 

 ointment made of either lard and kerosene oil, 

 or sulphur and kerosene oil. This always drives 

 them away at once. I have never known it to 

 fail. The bee sent is a female. I should like 

 very much to secure a male, if no more. 



Ag'l College, Mich. A. J. Cook. 



WAX BLEACHING; HOW 'TIS DONE. 



A SIMPLE AND 



EFFECTIVE WAY 

 ING WAX. 



OF I{ENDf:R- 



Frlend E. R. Root: — In answer to your foot- 

 notes, p. 6(32, under the last Ramble, in relation to 

 the process of wax -bleaching, 

 the process is so simple there is 

 but little detail to it. At first 

 the wax has to be frequently 

 loosened up, and is emptied from 

 the trays on to the wide bench 

 where the men are seen breaking 

 up the chunks and loosening it 

 up to the light. It is then re- 

 turned to the trays; as it pro- 

 gresses toward the finish it re- 

 quires less of this loosening pro- 

 cess. I understand the wax is 

 bleached to whiteness because 

 it can then be handled better in 

 the incorporation of colors. The 

 candles, to a great extent, are 

 white; also the wax for the drug 

 trade. From the amount of 

 bleaching done I should say that 

 yellow wax would b(! called 

 crude in this factory. As to the amounts 

 of other ingredients used, it depends entirely 



upon the class of goods made. I did not inves- 

 tigate this point closely, for I was aware that I 

 might be treading in the forbidden paths of 

 trade secrets, etc. There is no deception, how- 

 ever, here in relation to the class of goods sold. 

 They are true to name and description. While 

 upon the wax subject I vi'ish to call your atten- 

 tion to a method of rendering which is quite 

 rapid, and which, though old. I have never seen 



VROOMAN'S PLAN OF MELTING WAX. 



described. This method is practiced by Mr. 

 Solomon Vroomau, of Hartford, N. Y.. in pref- 

 erence to any of the many methods recommend- 

 ed. The wax is melted in a boiler or large ket- 

 tle, and thoroughly boiled until all the lumps 

 are finely pulverized. A square of very coarse 

 burlap is placed over the end of an empty bar- 

 rel, a stout coi'd tied around, and a twist taken 

 with a stick to hold it secure. The hot melted 

 mass is then dipped on to the burlap, which 

 will soon bag down and hold several dipperfuls. 

 It is then pressed and ground around with the 

 side of the dipper until all the wax is out. The 

 dross is thrown into a pail, and another charge 

 manipulated. Steam from the heated wax and 

 water that goes into the barrel keeps the mass 

 in the burlap from cooling, and the mass can 

 be worked for a long time if desired. The 

 Rambler has tried tliis method on a batch of 

 20() lbs., and prefers it to the press method as 

 being cleaner, and accomplished more rapidly, 

 and the dross is so free from wax that there is 

 no necessity of further treatment. The photo 



RAMBLER PROPOSES TO FIGHT IT OUT. 



shows the method and Mr. Vrooman so plain 

 that any further explanation is unnecessary. 



