BEE MANUAL, 



91 



however small, were saved and put away in some moth-proof 

 place till the end of the season, and then cleaned, the proceeds 

 from this source would make a sensible addition to the profits 

 of the apiary. 



It may not be out of place here to show the importance of 

 the trade in beeswax, in the United Kingdom alone, during 

 the years 1882 and 1883. The imports in the former year 

 amounted to 1,776 tons 18 cwt., valued at £126,926, and in 

 the latter to 1,409 tons 12 cwt, valued at £87,146. The 

 exports of wax from Chili to all parts in 1883 were 93 tons 

 1 cwt., valued at 85,617 dollars. These figures are taken from 

 official records, and will serve to give some idea of the impor- 

 tance of wax as an article of commerce. 



METHOD OF RENDERING WAX. 



No doubt one great cause for the waste of wax in this part 

 of the world has been the want of means and knowledge to 

 clean it in a quick and inexpensive manner. This want is now 



Fig. 28— THE GERSTER WAX EXTRACTOR. 



supplied by what is called the " wax extractor," a figure of 

 which is placed above, and the following is the method by 

 which it is accomplished : — 



The basket B is made of perforated tin, and it is into this 

 that the pieces of comb, etc., are to be put. When the basket 

 is filled, the cover of the vessel A is to be removed, and the 

 basket placed inside, resting on the fixed shallow pan, shown 

 where the side is cut away. This pan has three pieces of tin 



