230 
GENERAL HONEY HARVEST. 
is pierced closely with holes, each the 16th or 20th of 
an inch in diameter. Above the bottom, inside, and 
at the distance of an inch from it, stands upon four 
feet, a stage. A, of the same shape and size, 
made of wire cloth, of ^ inch mesh. Under the 
bottom, is fixed a piece of fine muslin, B, the edges 
of which are brought out at the joining of the two 
vessels. In using this apparatus, the combs being 
sliced horizontally through the cells, are laid with the 
cut side undermost upon the wire cloth stage, which 
retains all the bulky part of the wax, and prevents it 
from clogging the holes below ; the honey drops upon 
the bottom, and runs through the small holes which 
prevent the lesser particles of wax from getting 
through, while the muslin below causes it to flow in 
almost perfect purity into the under vessel, from 
whence it issues through the spigot into the store- 
jars. A cover put on the top vessel, after the sliced 
comb has been deposited, completes the exclusion of 
the external air, with which the honey never comes 
in contact till it runs from the spigot. The wax is 
next to be attended to, and there cannot he, perhaps, 
a simpler and more effectual direction for its manipu- 
lation than that which is given by the Abbe della 
Rocca. The wax is put into a woollen bag, firmly 
tied at the mouth ; the bag is plunged into a pan of 
boiling water ; the pure material oozes through the 
cloth, and swims on the surface ; it is carefully 
skimmed off, as long as any continues to rise, and 
poured into a shallow earthen bowl, which is pre- 
viously wetted to prevent the wax from adhering to 
