Mar. 23, 1899. 



AMERICAN BEE JOURNAL, 



179 



well without the wax ; and as that from the solar extractor 

 is nearly half wax, I propose to tell how to save it. 



For a press I take two pieces of 2-inch plank 10 inche^ 

 wide, and 3 feet or more in length, and cut them into the 

 shape shown in the accompanying engraving. In the lower 

 plank, near the wide end, I make a hole 2x3 inches in size, 

 and across it string 6 or 8 wires, fastening them with nails 

 or staples. Now laj' one plank on the other, with some 

 sticks between to hold them about -'4 of an inch apart, and 

 hinge them together with a pair of 6-inch strap hinges, 

 bending the hinges to fit. Tack a 6-inch piece of cloth 

 around the wide end of the upper piece, letting it extend up 

 as far as the narrow portion. This is to catch the wax that 

 otherwise might fly out and soil clothing, furniture, etc. 

 This cloth is not shown in the picture, as it interfered with 

 a clear view of the press. 



Get a tub — one 10 inches deep cut from the end of a bar- 

 rel will answer — fasten a bar across it 3 inches from the top 

 and 6 inches from one side. Put the lower end of the press 

 on this bar, and the other end on some object that will raise 



Rendering Beeswax. 



it off the edge of the tub. Throw the upper handle back 

 against the wall or some other object. Soak the tub, and 

 have a little water in it. Warm the press just before using 

 by pouring hot water on the inside faces. Make a strainer- 

 holder of a piece of No. 6 wire fastened to the tub, so that 

 the top-ends will be about 6 inches apart and 8 inches above 

 the top of the tub. Make a sack-strainer 9 inches wide and 

 16 inches deep of some strong stuff — I use a piece of seam- 

 less grain-sack. 



The method of operation is as follows : Put a boiler 

 containing a pail of water on the kitchen stove ; and when 

 it boils make the fire as hot as you well can ; then stir in 

 comb as fast as it will melt, but not much faster, continu- 

 ing to do this for about 1,5 minutes. Let it stand, stirring 

 often, and when it boils freely set it by the side of the tub 

 next to the strainer-holder. Hang the strainer on the 

 holder, hold it open with the left hand, and fill yi to \i full. 

 The more liquid wax it contains the greater the quantity 

 that can be put in. There is not much gained, however, b^- 

 putting in a large quantity, while it increases the danger of 

 bursting the sack. Lay the strainer on the press with the 

 bottom end next to the hinges, fold the top end back on the 

 filled part, then bring down the handle and put your weight 

 on it if you are not very heavy. As soon as the wax is 

 nearly done running, dip your fingers in cold water, throw 

 back the handle, lift the edge of the strainer which is to- 

 ward you, fold it back on itself, and bring down the 

 handle again. Throw back again, turn the strainer one- 

 fourth round, fold back and press again ; each time making- 

 the fold as even in the center as you can. You will now 

 have a '■ cheese "' about 4 or 5 inches square, perhaps an 

 inch thick, and in four equal layers. 



If you have done j-our work well you will now have tio 

 wax in thfe residue ; which will shake out almost like dry 



meal ; while the strainer will be entirely free from wax ex- 

 cept at the edges. If you have cookt it too long the cocoons 

 will have become so viscid that when you bring pressure to 

 bear they will stick to the strainer like a mass of glue, and 

 j'ou can get nothing from it. I think tlie greatest reason 

 whv rendering wax hy boiling is not more popular is that it 

 is generally cookt too long ; so. keep the fire hot, and cook 

 onlj' a short time. If the contents of the boiler are likely 

 to become too cold while j'ou are straining, put it back on 

 the stove while you press : but you should not be more than 

 two minutes filling and pressing a strainer full. 



Doirt put the hinges too near the corners, since the 

 pressure is mostly near the middle, or you will be liable to 

 split the plank. 



Don't put much heavy comb in the boiler at one time, 

 and leave it without stirring-, or it will be liable to burn and 

 so color the was. 



Don't put anj' lumps of wax in the boiler after any comb 

 is in ; as the lump will be so long melting that the cocoons 

 will be liable to cook too long. 



Save all the residuum from the solar extractor, and, at 

 the end of the season, chop it very fine, boil it, and then run 

 it thru the press. The blackest comb will make almost as 

 light-colored wax as will the lightest combs, if it is not 

 cookt too long. 



Dr. Miller, in reply to the question, "How can I keep 

 the wax from sticking to a Vooden mold?" replied, "Wet 

 the mold." I will inform the Doctor that no amount of 

 wetting or soaking will keep the wax from sticking if the 

 wax is put into the mold very hot, and then cooled slowly ; 

 as the hot wax will drive all the moisture from the surface 

 of the wood, leaving it dry, and then the wax will stick. 



The Doctor has also told us to cool the caking wax in 

 any vessel very slowly to prevent its cracking near the 

 edges. When convenient I set the vessel of caking wax into 

 ice-water, and if it shows a tendencv to crack, as it seldom 

 does, I run a thin knifeblade between the wax and the tin, 

 cutting no deeper than '2 inch, and have no more trouble. — 

 Bee-Keepers' Review. Fremont Co., Wvo. 



An Experiment in Producing' Extracted Honey. 



BY C. D.WEXPORT. 



AS most of the readers of the American Bee Journal 

 probably know, I make a speciality of comb honey, but 

 I have the last few years run a number of colonies for 

 extracted, and perhaps the results of another experiment in 

 this line which was conducted last season may be of inter- 

 est to some. 



Early in the spring, 30 colonies in good condition, all in 

 8-frame hives, were .selected. They were divided into three 

 lots of 10 each. In lot No. 1 the queens were confined by 

 zinc to the lower story ; in lot No. 2 they were allowed two 

 stories for brood-rearing ; while lot No. 3 had no restriction 

 in the way of zinc, the queens being allowed their will in 

 three or four stories. Perhaps I should say that with all, 

 the upper stories were of full depth, and were placed on top 

 instead of under the brood-nest, care being taken to give 

 these upper stories as fast as thev could be occupied, so that 

 in lot No. 3 the queens had unlimited room for brood-rear- 

 ing thru the entire season ; and while lots Nos. 1 and 2 were 

 confined to one and two stories for brood-rearing, they had 

 all the drawn combs they required for storage. 



The flow from miscellaneous sources in the spring- was 

 sufficient to keep up brood-rearing, and the weather on the 

 whole was more favorable than the average of springs here. 

 I do not remember ever having colonies in better condition 

 in the spring than they were last season. 



The flow from clover opened and continued in a scant, 

 irregular way for about two weeks, when basswood com- 

 menced to yield. This basswood flow was at no time very 

 profuse, and clover and basswood were both workt at the 

 same time — something that seldom occurs here, for usually 

 when basswood commences to yield everything else is 

 largely forsaken for it. 



An interesting thing to note about basswood is its dif- 

 ferent characteristics in different localities of about the 

 same latitude. Mr. Doolittle says in his locality he never 

 knew it to fail to yield considerable honey, while last year 

 was the first basswood honey here, so far as surplus was 

 concerned, for three years ; and it not only fails to blossom 

 here, but I have seen the trees literallj- loaded with bloom 

 when it would fail to yield, and while there have been many 

 theories advanced to account for this, I believe there is some 

 reason or cause as yet unknown, for I have known it to 



