Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-02-27
BETTER THAN BEESWAX.
A PECULIAR INSECT SUBSTANCE OF
STRANGE ORIGIN


How the Insects Feed-Their Propaga-
ton and the Uses to which the Wax
Is Putt Is Worth 81 Pound.
Recently the steamer Gaelic brought from
China three small packages carefully in
closed in mating and oil paper, and bearing
the superscrption, Vegetable wax; han
die with care" The weight of these pack
ages was about GOO pounds, but the value
of the contents was alleged to he $780, or
81 a pound. The box was consigned to
leading silk manufacturers at Paterson,
n. j. and the use to which the wax was to
be put is the glazing of their mill product.
This wax is u peculiar substance, differing
materially from the bee product and is in its
way unique production. In fact it is the
only variety of wax actually secreted by an
animal. The wonderful Chinese compila-
ton ''Pen Tsao, Mu- Urh," that treats OF
every species of the animal, vegetable and
mineral kingdom known to the author and
his collaborators, speaks of this wax pro-
ducing insect as Giving on dew" and says
that wax perspires from its body"
1T WAS KNOWN OF IN 1865.
The substance is, when free from impur-
tiles, white, hard and translucent, melting
at SO to So dogs. centigrade, and can be
]
in contact with. When used on textile
fabrics it imparts a glossy sheen that en-
dures for "A long period. Being free from
stearic or any other acid, it does not injure
vegetable or any libers
In the work entitled "Novus Atlas ST.
nensis," by Martini, published at Rome in
1853, the first mention of this peculiar wax
is made known to Europeans. The Jesuit
fathers, i'll tier various monographs on
Chinese matters, also mention the subject,
but until 1890 the world at large was in
ignorance of the true habits of the wax
producing insect and the methods EN-
ployed to gath the WAX. This knowledge
was gained 10y Mr.. Hosie of the British
consular service, who was stationed at
Chun King on the upper Iangtse river, in
the border province of Szechuen His en-
theological and botanical Identification of
the subject is admitted TO he conclusive,
and sets at rest the questions that have
been raised from time to time.
The insect itself belongs to the family of
CoccidP, an order that embraces the cochi-
neal bug, lac insect, the mealy bug, vine
gall and coffee bug. 1t begins its life on
the leaves of Il large leaved privet of the
laurel type in the form of small scales, pre-
sumably eggs.
HOW TIE WAX is SECURED.
I The tree grows in the Chen Chang val.
ley The embryo insect scales are gathered
from the leaves and made up into paper
packages of n catty each lone and one-t bird
pounds), and in loads of sixty pounds
porters carry them over mountain and
stream to the high lands near Chia'-ting
foo in Szechuen Only during the cool
nights the porters travel, AS during the
day the temperature is too high and would
tend to the Development of the insects and
their escape from the scales. Upon arrival
at the high lands the scales are unpacked,
and from twenty to thirty, inclosed in
leaf of the wood oil tree, are attached to
the branches of "A species of mountain ash
(FraXinus Chinensis).
Thirteen days is said to be the period of
incubation, and when the insects emerge
from the scales they travel from the
branches to the leaves, Nesting among
them for II week. Taking up positions on
the branches, the females commence to de
post scales, while the males excrete the
substance known as white wax. The wax
appears as a white coating on the under
side of the leaves and twgs, and gradually
spreads over the whole branch, attaining
after three months IA thickness of a quarter
of an inch
The branches are then Topped of and he
WAX removed uartlv nv hand this heiu1
the first quality. and partly by boiling the
branches, this latter method rendering he
wax dark and inferior. Finally the in
sects that have sunk to the bottom of the
DO, are placed i'm a BAG, and soueezed under
a rude Dress until they give nm the last
drop OF their product. Owing to the crude
treatment the insects and egus are de
stroyed, rendering necessary the supply of
fresh scales by the method described
HOW THE WAX Is USED
Although undivided attention and re-
search were given to the insects durinp the
period of production and their active ok.
istence. TO the unaided eve there is M
visible impression on leaves or bark The
deduction is therefore drawn that tbe way
is actually nroduced from, tho resources Of
tained from, tho vagat,hIe tissue ., flo
tree. The strange fact remains that both
the laurel and ash. upon which the insect