APPLIANCES. 



31 



The bees will work out adulterated foundation almost as readily 

 as pure. There is no doubt that bee-keepers are bringing this 

 condition of things upon themselves. Many will have their 

 foundation of a high colour in the case of stock, and perfectly 

 white in that of super ; they seem to forget the fact that perfectly 

 white beeswax cannot possibly be obtained without subjecting 

 ordinary coloured wax to a chemical change. The least deleterious 

 method of doing this is by exposure to sunlight ; but this entails 

 so much labour, that it cannot be produced at the price charged 

 for the foundation. The wax has to be made into thin sheets, 

 exposed to the light for two days, then re-melted, made up again 

 into thin sheets, again exposed to the light, and then melted into 

 blocks. In consequence of the expense attending this process, 

 other wax, or a mixture of chemically bleached beeswax with 

 paraffin wax is used. Some super foundation we have tested had a 

 strong odour of tallow. This was made from Cera japonica without 

 a particle of beeswax in its composition, and was exhibited at 

 a very large show as pure. As this wax 

 is eaten with the honey from sections, bee- 

 keepers cannot be too particular that they 

 obtain the genuine, unpolluted article, which, 

 as foundation, is never white. In the case 

 of stock foundation the same system occurs, 

 bad-coloured wax being bleached, re-coloured, 

 and scented, to make up for the loss of 

 aroma in the bleaching process. Chlorine will 

 bleach wax, but it makes it very brittle. The 

 following rough method of testing wax by its 

 specific gravity will be found of service. Take 

 a 60Z. vial, and half fill it with gin ; then obtain 

 a piece of beeswax that you know is pure, and, 

 after kneading it into a ball about as large as 

 a pea, drop it in the gin ; it will sink to the 

 bottom, as a stone ; gradually add water to the 

 gin, keeping it agitated while so doing, until 

 the wax very slowly sinks. It is now ready. 

 Take a portion of the foundation to be examined, 

 and knead it into a ball of the same size as 

 the first piece, taking great care that no ait 

 becomes embedded ; drop this into the bottle ; 

 if it sinks in the same manner as the first piece 

 put in, it is pure ; but if it floats, it is not, as 

 its specific gravity is lighter than pure wax. 

 You must wait, before testing, until both pieces are of the same 

 temperature. Another and more satisfactory method is by 

 testing its melting-point ; this is performed by the following 

 means : Having procured a thermometer that will register 

 200° Fahr., get a canned salmon or lobster tin, and remove 

 both top and bottom ; make some holes round the edge ; in 



Appliance for 

 Testing Spurious 

 Wax. 



