6 
COLORADO EXPERIMENT STATION 
observed that the extractor with the double glass was slower in becom¬ 
ing heated in the morning and held the heat longer in the evening. The 
efficiency of the extractor was increased, on an average, about seven per 
cent, for number two comb, and two per cent, for number three comb. 
Number one comb was not tested. 
Double Glass and Lamp. As it was shown by experiments that, the 
use of a lamp, and an extra pane of glass increased the efficiency it was 
thought that a combination of the two might increase it still more. This 
was tried and the results showed but a slight increase over either one 
alone and did not come up to expectations. The increase was about 0.7 
per cent. 
Bleaching. It was noticed that in rendering light colored wax hy 
means of the solar extractor the wax was bleached. An attempt was 
made to determine the bleaching effect of the sunlight by exposing dark 
wax in the solar extractor for four days. The wax was exposed for that 
length of time because it was thought that it would not remain in the 
extractor longer than that during the ordinary process of extraction. 
Some dark wax which had been obtained from the Ferris steam extractor 
was placed in solar extractor number one and melted for a day. A sam • 
pie of this wax was taken and the remainder remelted. This was con¬ 
tinued for four days and samples were taken at the end of each day. At 
the end of the fourth day the samples were compared and it was impossi¬ 
ble to note any change in the color of the wax. 
Some dark wax which had been boiled with sulphuric acid was 
placed in solar extractor number two and melted. It was sampled and 
lemelted the same as in the preceding experiment. It was impossible to 
notice any difference in the shade or color of the wax. 
Slumgum. In order to see if the solar extractor could remove wax 
which the steam extractor was unable to remove, some slumgum from 
the Swiss extractor was put in solar extractor number two and heated 
for four days. The weather was very warm and at the end of the fourth 
day there was not a trace of wax to be seen in the extractor. 
Honey. A number of experiments were made to see if the solar 
extractor could be used to remove honey from the comb. In the experi¬ 
ments conducted with the dark comb in warm weather, the honey ob- 
teined was dark and thick, had a scorched taste and could not be used 
for anything except feeding purposes. In the other experiments with 
light colored comb and with moderately bright sun the honey was light 
colored and of good quality. 
Soaking Comb in Water. Some beekeepers make a practice of soak¬ 
ing the comb in water before putting it in the solar extractor, supposing 
that the soaking loosens the cocoons and dirt in the comb. Some num¬ 
ber two comb was soaked in water for six days and put in solar extractor 
number one. Some comb which had not been soaked was used as a 
check, and the soaked comb showed an average increase of about one per 
cent, over the unsoaked. 
Comb Soaked in Dilute Sulphuric Acid. It was thought that the 
soaking of the comb in dilute sulphuric acid might loosen the dirt and 
