324 ON VEGETABLE WAXES. 



Other species have been described in the districts of Swellendam and 

 George, hut the above only have been identified during recent years. 



From an Appendix to Dr Pappe's ' Silva Capensis' we extract the following 

 particulars of collecting the berries, and extracting and preparing the wax : 



" Anything hollow, from the size of a plate to that of a schepel measure, 

 placed under the branch with one hand, while the other is employed in 

 rubbing off the berries, will be found the most useful in collecting them 

 from the branches : besides which, every person gathering berries should 

 have a cloth the size of a small handkerchief about his person; that, where 

 a bush whose vines are partly buried in the sand is met with, the vine may 

 be lifted gently, the cloth placed under, and when the berries are rubbed 

 off, the vine may be replaced without the slightest injury : a muid bag to 

 be kept at hand to receive such small quantities in the mean time. "Where 

 berries are found large and abundant, one man can gather two muids a day 

 with ease in this manner : such berries, from being large, would realise 

 141b. of white wax to the muid. 



" With respect to extracting and preparing the wax, although I have had 

 defecators made since the last Agricultural Show, by the use of which the 

 process of extracting the wax is simplified, yet, for the benefit of parties 

 who may not wish to inciir the expense of such articles, I will here explain 

 the process by which the best specimen of wax then exhibited was got up. 



" A small quantity of berries at a time was put into a pot of boiling 

 water, so proportioned to its size as to admit each berry to have cast its wax 

 to the surface. This small quantity was not in the water more than two 

 minutes when skimming commenced, the berries being stirred gently with 

 a ladle during that time. The wax was then skimmed off rapidly, to avoid 

 the colour from the pulp. To receive the skimmings, a small keg, with 

 one end ont, was prepared ; over this end two flannel strainers were 

 fastened, through which the wax was strained, and when the keg was full, 

 the wax being yet a liquid, was again strained through flannel into a mould 

 that gave it shape. After each skimming, the boiler, being too large for 

 removal with facility, was baled of its contents, water and all, cleaned with 

 mops and hot water, refilled with water either cold or otherwise, and the 

 fire applied with all despatch. 



*' This having been performed in the open air, an hour was often con- 

 sumed between each process in getting the water up to boiling heat, while 

 the process itself did not occupy more than five minutes from the time the 

 berries were put into the boiler until the skimming ceased. To save so 

 much time and labour, the necessity for something with which to enclose 

 the berries in the boiler became apparent ; hence the construction of the 

 defecators alluded to. 



" There are two of them. The brass defecator is adapted to the berries 

 towards the close of the winter, when the pulp is dry. The pulp being then 

 brittle, will break into small particles in the water, and float to the top with 

 the wax. It was found more difficult to sever such particles by straining, than 



