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GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



May 15 



be still too thick for all the wax to escape. 

 Better not press so much at a time, and be 

 sure all the wax is out. The slumgum, 

 when pressed as much as it can be, should 

 not be over one inch thick, and ;V would be 

 still better. If bee-keepers could have some 

 sort of press that did not cost too much, one 





Salisbury's home-made wax-press; sec- 

 tional VIEW. 



they could afford to buy, the foundation 

 used in the brood-chamber would cost them 

 nothing. For example, suppose they had 

 20 hives in which they wanted to use full 

 sheets of foundation in the frames. Now, 

 to fill 20 hives with lig'ht brood will take 

 about 20 lbs. This at, say, SO cents per 

 pound, is $10.00. Now, after five years' use 

 they have this press, and render the combs 

 into wax. They will get on an average 

 from each hive 2 lbs. of wax. This at 31 

 cts. per pound, which is the market price 

 now, would bring- them 62 cts. per hive, or, 

 for the 20, $12.40. They are ahead $2.40 by 

 using the foundation, besides having the 

 use of nice straight combs in the hives while 

 in use. I have always contended that the 

 use of foundation in the brood-chamber costs 

 the bee-keepers nothing. If I am not right, 

 will some one please tell me where? By the 

 use of a wax-press the wax can be gotten 

 out at any time, and it is worth cash at any 

 time of the year. We consider wax just as 

 good as cash, and would just as soon have 

 wax on hand as cash in bank. It is simply 

 exchanging cash for wax in the first place, 

 and then cash for wax, without a particle 

 of loss to bee-keepers. All that is needed 

 is some kind of cheap simple practical 

 press that any bee-keeper, no matter how 

 small, can afford to purchase. 



Syracuse, N. Y. 



[Mr. Salisbury has been working on the 

 problem of getting up a cheap press. As 

 nearly as we can estimate, this could be 

 sold for about $4.00 at retail; and if one 

 were handy with tools he might be able to 

 make one at a cost of material not to ex- 

 ceed $2.00. The press Mr. Salisbury sent 

 us was made entirely of hard wood. Soft 

 wood might be used, perhaps. But there is 

 danger that it might be too porous or 

 spongy, owing to the absorption of steam 

 from the slumgum. 



We told our artist to show only two 

 thumbscrews; but recent experiments have 

 convinced us that four will be almost a ne- 

 cessity. Under the influence of the hot 

 steam the cover would be liable to twist 

 diagonally under the strain. With four 

 screws it would probably hold its position. 



In order to make a separate wax-press — 

 one that does not use either steam or water 

 — effective, the operator must work rapidly, 

 and even then there will be danger of the 

 slumgum "freezing" or chilling. Just 

 when it begins to be a little cold, the free 

 wax will refuse to run off, of course. 



If one were to follow Mr. Salisbury's di- 

 rections he would probably be able to get 

 very good results. However, I am still of 

 the opinion that a press that allows steam 

 to circulate all around the slumgum during 

 the whole time of squeezing, keeping the 

 wax hot, will yield more wax in the hands 

 of the average person than one that takes it 

 hot from the boiler, and depends on pres- 

 sure being applied before it can cool. 



I believe our friend is in error when he 

 states that a metal wax-press of galvanized 

 iron, or black iron, would discolor the wax 



