Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-03-05
BETTER THAN BEESwAX.
A PECULIAR INSECT SUBSTANCE OF
STRANGE ORIGIN,

Recent Investigation Of u. Production.
Now the Insects resd--rheir rropnrs-
ticn and the Uses to which the VA.
Is rut-It "a worth Nj u Found.
Recently tho steamer Gaeiic brought from
China three small packages carefully In.
closed In mnttlngand oil paper, and bearing
the tnpcrscripiion. Vegetable WIKI han
die with care" The weight NJ these pack
agca was about CO. pounds. but the value
OF the oontents wa1 alleged to BE- 900. or
81 pound. The box was consumed To
leading silk manufacturers Mt Paterson.
n. j.. and the Use 10 which the wax vas Ia
be pot n the glazing q their mill product
This wax IL peculiar substance dlGofipt,
materially from the bee product and isln H.
waya unique production. In fact h l. tho
only variety OF wax actually secrctc,l by an
animal. The wonderful Chine,e comuila.
ton Pen Tsno, Mu.urh." tina. treat, Of
every species OF the animal. vegetable aud
mineral kingdom known 70 thcnuthof aud
Die eollaborntois, speaks Of this wax pfo.
duelns Insect "a living on dew" aud say,
that wax pcrrplfes from ~ BODY
IT WAS KNOWN oT ~ less.
The suh'tancc Is, when free from irnpur.
titles, white, hard aud Translucent, mrliirg
O. ~ to % dogs. cvDiiguide, and can bo
handled without soiiiu1 anything Il COMES
Ia contact with. When used on textile
fabrics Il imparts glossy sheen that en-.
dnres for long period Being free from
stearic or any other acid. II does not lniurc
vegetable or any hbert
In the work entitled "Novus Alta, ~.
nensls," by Martini, published NJ Rome In
1855, tho first mention u this peculiar wax
!, made known TO Europeans. The Jesuit
fathers, In their various monographs on
Chinese matters. also mention the subject,
hut until isaO the world NJ large wins In
Ignorance Of the true habits Of tho wax
producing insect and the method. en-.
pl0ycd 10 gather the wax. TIT. knowledge
was gained by Mr.. ilosle Of the british
consular service. who was stationed AZ
thun King on the upper Yangt-e river. In
the boricr province of skschucn. His Gu.
tomolosical and botanical Identification Of
the subject Il admitted 10 he conclusive,
and sets at rest the questions that have
been raised from time To time
The Insect itself belongs TO the family Of
'ooeidr, an order that embraces the coehl.
neal bug. lac Insect, the menly bur, vine
gall and coffee bug. Il begins IT, lie on
the leaves u a large lcayed priyet Of the
laurel type In the form Of small scales, Pre-.
suinably egg.
now TnR WAX II srcuREn.
The trce grows In the Chicn Chang val.
ley. The embryo insect SCALES arr unthercd
from the leaves and made up into paper
packages Of u eAtty each lone and onc,thir
poundsl. and IN loads Of sixty pound.
portsr carry them over mountain and
stream 10 the high lands near Chatting.
foo In sacchnen. Only during tho cool
nights the portcrs travel. ~ during tho
day the temperature IL too high aud would
tend 10 the development of the insects aud
their escape from the scales. Upon arrival
nj IA. high lands the scales nru unpackcd,
and from twenty 10 thirty inclosed In a
leaf Of the wood oi tree. arc attached to
the brnnrhts ofA species OF mountain ash
Ur,xinuA Chlncnsisl
Thirteen days a said 10 la tho pcrloi OF
incubation. and when the Insects enicrr,
from the scales they travel from the
branches 10 the leayes. nesting among
them for week. Taking mp positions on
the branches, the female. commence 10 de |
posit healea, while tho mnle4 eNrrcie the
substance known a. white wax. Tho wax
appear. M white coating on the under |
aide OF the leaves aud twi,s, and gradually
spreads over tho whole branch. nttAiulng
afterthrco months a thickness Of quarter
Of an inch.
The branches are then Topped Oh aud the
wax removed partly by hand, this holng
the Inst quality, and partly by boiling tho
branches. this latter mothod rendering tho
wax dark and Inferior Finally the In.
Hecis that have sunk 10 tho bottom OF tho
pot nru placsd In a bag and squeezed under
rude press until they giyo ~ tho last
dro? Of their product. Owing 10 the erudc
treatment tho insects and ugrs are dc.
Alruyed, rendering necessary the supply oi
frrsh scales by The method dcscr,bcd.
now tuE WAX ~ usrn.
Although undivided attention and re-
search were given To the inaocta during tho
period OF production and their active cX.
istsnce, to tho unAilsd Cye there IL no
visible impression on lcnvcs or bark The
deduction IL thpwfpnr drawn that Tho wax
& actually produced from the resource. ~
the insect Internal economy, and not OBJ
ialEed fFGm the vegetable tissue of tho
tree. The strange fact remains that both
the laurel and ash, upon which VIC insect
Il matured aud rests IN an embryo state,
arc both members of the order Oleacn, 10
which the olive trc bolonla.
The Chinese USE the wax for coating the
tallow candles used In temples and IN tho
homesnf the wealthy. ~ - glaze for iino
pApcr. silks and cottnns. and also 10 polish
high grades OF furniture and ornaments,
80 valuable IN the wax deemed that the NJ
most carr Ia taken In it, transport 10 its
destination, and II IS placed In tho treasure
roma Of the steamers that carry Il from
tha upper Yangt'e ports 10 Shanghai and
ether point, on the Chlgosc coast thoruhy
incurrpg an expense Of extra ffeighiage.
Werc II possible 70 prguuru q supply OF
thr eggs Of this wax producing Insect
ficrc Is no doubt that they could b. propa.
gated In California, 49, the laurel, nsh and
olive grow In luxurlauee In the state, aud
valuable article Of commerce would DO
secured. Tho entire production Is ostl'
mated to be only 10000 10 lsVO pounds
during the season, from April 70 June. lt
u exported from tho two western provinces
Of China, srcohuen and Honan.-San
fTanelsco Chronicle.
An Eariy slap Of North America.
The editor owns an original copy OF Hoy
Lnls .Cosmogruphlcn utill, containing a