Nature of Wax, 151 



while the third element, carbon, is in the same or about the 

 same proportion as the oxygen. Now, the fats usually 

 contain little oxygen and a good deal of carbon and hydro- 

 gen. Thus the sugar, by losing some of its oxygen, would 

 contain the requisite elements for fat. It was found true 

 in the days of slavery in the South that the negroes of 

 Louisiana, during the gathering of the cane, would become 

 very fat. They ate much sugar; they gained much fat. 

 Now, wax is a fat-like substance, not that it is the animal 

 fat of bees, as often asserted — in fact it contains inuch less 

 hydrogen, as will be seeA by the following formula from 

 Hess: 



Oxygen 7.50 



Carbon 79.30 



Hydrogen 13.20 



— but it is a special secretion for a special purpose, and 

 from its composition we should conclude that it might be 

 secreted from a purely saccharine diet, and experiment con- 

 firms the conclusion. Dr. Planta has found that there is a 

 trace of nitrogen in wax scales, a little less than .6 of one 

 per cent., while he finds in newly made comb, nearly .9 of 

 one per cent. It has been found that bees require about 

 twenty pounds of honey to secrete one of wax. The experi- 

 ments of Mr. P. L. Viallon show this estimate of Huber 

 to be too great. My own experiments would sustain 

 Ruber's statement. In these experiments the bees are con- 

 fined, and so the conclusions are to be received with caution. 

 We cannot know how much the results are changed by the 

 abnormal condition in w^hich the bees are placed. 



For a time niti'ogenous food is not necessary to the secre- 

 tion of wax. Probably the small amount of nitrogen in 

 the scales and in the saliva may be furnished by tho blood. 

 This of course could not continue long. 



It is asserted that to secrete wax, bees need to hang in 

 compact clusters or festoons, in absolute repose. Such 

 quiet would certainly seem conducive to most active secre- 

 tion. The food could not go to form wax, and at the 

 same time supply the waste of tissue which ever follows 

 upon muscular activity. The cow, put to hard toil, could 

 not give so much milk. But I find, upon examination, 



