FIFTY YEARS AMONG THE BEES 299 



it has worked with success so far; and if it proves successful 

 with others it will be no small gain. 



Eemember, too, that it is European foul brood I am talking 

 about. For American foul brood the plan would be worthless. 



DRIPPING-PAN WAX-EXTHACTOE. 



Before the introduction of the solar wax-extractor, the ren- 

 dering of wax was generally reserved as winter's work, and 

 indeed after the introduction of the solar it wsis often conven- 

 ient to work up in winter some of the material saved up. A 

 very simple arrangement on a small scale did excellent work on 

 much the same principle as the solar extractor, only the heat 

 of the stove was used in place of solar heat. 



An old dripping-pan (of course a new one would do) had 

 one corner split open, and that made the extractor. The drip- 

 ping-pan is put into the oven of a cook-stove with the split 

 corner pro.jeoting out (Fig. 107). The opposite corner, the one 

 farthest in the oven, is slightly raised by having a pebble or 

 something of the kind under it, so that the melted wax will run 

 outward. A dish set under catches the dripping wax, making 

 the outfit complete. Of course the material to be melted is put 

 in the pan the same as in the solar extractoi'. 



SOLAR WAX-EXTRACTOR. 



I do not know that the solar extractor has any advantage over 

 the dripping-pan arrangement, except that the sun furnishes 

 free heat. In either case, when old combs are melted a good 

 deal of wax remains in the refuse or slumgum, because the 

 cocoons act much like sponges. Especially is this the case if 

 more than a single thickness of comb is placed for melting. 



STEAM WAX-PRESS. 



So when the German steam wax-press came, leaving the 

 slumgum mostly free from wax, the solar extractor had to take 

 a back seat, leaving wax-rendering again a proper thing for 

 winter work. 



The wax-press is placed upon the cook-stove (Fig. 108), and 

 the work is done according to the instructions sent out with the 



