Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-11-21
INSECT WAX IN CHINA,

Made Not by Bees, but by Bugs Which Live
the Boughs of Trees.
eeTNHE MOST INTERESTING ARTICLE
Il of all the many curious things which
enter into the trade of China is insect wax "
writes Minister DENLY from Picking to the De-
partment of State. This product, sometimes
known as white wax, is obtained in western
China, not far from the frontier of Thibet 1t
is gathered from tree called by the natives
the cracking flea tree, from the popping of
its branches when burned. The tree is an
evergreen and in the spring it bears clusters
OF white flowers, which are succeeded
by fruit of dark purple color. Botanists
have classified it as 1igustrum lucidum.' Early
in May numerous brown. pea-shaped scales APP
pear on the bark of the boughs and twigs.
These. upon being opened. are found 70 con-
tain mass OF small animals, resembling flour
In appearance. whose movements are almost
imperceptible. The animals are the Larvae of
the white wax insect, which owns the scientific
name of 'coccus pe-la.' People gather the
scales and carry them to the prefecture of
Chatting. which is the center of this industry
For the journey they are wrapped in packages
containing about sixteen ounces each. The ut
most care is taken to protect them from heat
In order that the larvP may not develop pre-
maturely.
THE city Of Chatting stands in the midst of
a plain which is an immense rice field. The
divided for purposes OF cultivation are edged
with stumps from four to twelve feet in height,
bearing numerous sprouts upon their gnarled
heads These stumps resemble at distance
pollard willows The trees. however, are a
species of ash. and are called by the Chinese
white wax trees Beneath their branches the
white wax scales are suspended in small pack
ages wrapped in leaves, about twenty or thirty
scales in each package Holes are punched in
the leafy wrappings. and the insects on emerg-
ing from the scales creep up the boughs to the
leaves of the trees among which they remain
for two weeks. At the end of that time they
crawl back to the twigs and branches, on which
the females deposit their eggs and the males
excrete the substance known as white wax.
'.Ihe first appearance of the wax on the
under sides OF the boughs and twigs resembles
snow, and 1t gradually spreads over the whole
OF the branches to the depth OF quarter OF an
inch. At the expiration of 100 days from the
placing Of the insects on the trees the deposit
is complete. The branches arc then cut off,
As much of the wax possible is removed by
hand, but to secure what remains the branches
are afterward boiled. This boiling destroys
the eggs thu. making necessary the bringing
Of fresh scales the following year from all other
locality, AS above described. pound of scales
it is said, will produce four or five pounds
of wax.
The WAX scraped off is put into boiling
water. where it melts, and, rising to the sur
face, is skinned off and put into molds. Here
it solidifies and the work of manufacture is
complete. The insects, which have sunk to the
bottom OF the pot. are pressed out and, when
the wax has all been extracted from Them are
fed to the pigs. A ton of the wax is worth at
Shanghai about $1,000.
"A tree from which the branches have been
removed is not available again for productive
purposes until the third year following. If the
wax is left or the tree the male insects buried
under it undergo a metamorphosis. emerging
with wings in the autumn and flying away.
This white wax is a substance of great utility
In China. 1t melts only at a very high tenn
perature, 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and is chiefly
employed to cover candles made OF animal and
vegetable tallow to prevent them from burning
too rapidly. 1t is used in some localities as a
sizing for paper and cotton goods, glaze for
silk and polish for furniture. Also it is util-
lied in southern China as a polish for stone
ornaments. Immense quantities of it are
shipped from the ports Of the upper Yang-tse
in junks.
The introduction of foreign kerosene, now
so universally used in China, has had q dis
couraging influence on the production OF in
sect wax Mineral oil in lamps affords cheaper
light than tal!ow candles. 1t is possible how
ever. that a use for the product may be found
in other countries"