Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-11-12

by simply pressing the honey out of the comb.
The best of it is made from the cappings with
which the bees cover ND the cells after they
are filled with honey. 1t is now commonly re-
fined for market by q new process Of American
invention. suns RAYS being employed to assist
the operation The crude wax is put into n
shallow metal tank covered with glass, along
side OF which is a mirror placed US to reflect
the rays OF the sun into the tank. This pro-
duces very high temperature inside OF the
tank, the bottom of which is an inclined plane.
Inc wax as 1t melts runs down and strains
itself through wire gauze into a receptacle
After cooling it is ready for market
THE MANY USES OF nEEswAx
Beeswax Ia utilized for great variety of pur-
poses-ar1ong others, for artificial flowers. pho
nograph cylinders, ointments, pomades,
leather dressings and the identifying Of floors.
II Is used for embalming the dead and by dem
fists for taxing molds of peoples jaws. In
India II Is employed for dyeing cloths, those
portions OF the fabric which are not intended
to take the color being covered with q thin
layer OF wax. One Of the most important uses
for beeswax Ia in the manufacture Of candles
Roman Catholic priests are not permitted by
the regulations Of the church to EMPLOY candles
made OF any other material than wax produced
by bees In the Greek Church every one who
attends divine services must fetch q candle
OF wax The people provide themselves
Tor this purpose with little tapers.
AZ ccuHuAoe aDOub the eastern part OF
the Mediterranean these tapers are current like
coins, being medium Of exchange In q small
way. The charitable give them to beggars in
stead OF coppers. Mendcants 90 from door to
door with baskets, collecting the little candles,
and sell them to the churches In Europe much
wine and vinegar are made from honey, and in
france cakes OF honey, sugar and almonds are
consumed In vast quantities Honey is chiefly
utilized for medicinal purposes in China.
lhere, as well as in India. the larve Of bees are
considered delicacy, and the brood combs
containing young grubs are much reished.
BEE srINos
II has been discovered within recent wears
that Doe stings are good for rheumatism. Do
cause 1t is difficult to utilize the insects them
selves for such a medicinal purpose q surgical
instrument has been devised with q reservoir in
which small quantity Of venom from the
poison glands Of bees is put, a dozen needles
puncturing the skin simultaneously and intro
ducing the poison into the circulation. Bee
keepers with advanced ideas have entertained a
hope that by careful breeding it might be pos
slbie In the course Of time to get rid Of the
stlngs OF bees which render them more or less
difficult to handle. However there is not
the least prospect that this will be ac-
complished. Bees differ very much as to tenn
permanent, some varieties being more irritable
than others. The Italian bees are compare
lively sniable and easy to deal with and this Is
one reason why they are at present the greatest
favorltes among the several races which have
been imported from abroad II Is hardly
necessary 20 remind the reader that there were
no bees in this country before Columbus dis
covered America. The Italian bees have other
advantages being industrious honey gatherers,
prolific breeders and very active in defending
their hives from the wax moths, which lay their
eggs in the honey in order that their larve may
feed upon 1t. Before long an attempt will be
made to introduce into the United States the
giant bees of India, which build combs in the
forest as big as house DOORS Their honey is
gathered by professional bee hunters The
drones are no bigger than ordinary bees, and
for that reason it is more likely that they would
breed with the races now domestica tied here
These bees of India have longer tongues than
other bees and thus they would be able to get
from many kinds of flowers much honey that
now goes to waste. Alarming stories are told
of the extraordinary ferocity of these species
swarms being said to have attacked native viii
lagos with faol results; but expert beekeepers
would have no difficulty in handling them.
THE SCIENCE OF APIcULruRE.
Though bees we're not native to America, it is
only on this continent that agriculture has be-
come scientific In Europe, save in England,
beekeepIng has never advanced beyond the
most primitive conditions Everywhere across
the ocean one finds in common use the old straw
hives, resembling in appearance the typical
hive employed as an industrial sign. Where
boxes are employed movable frames are I'M
known and the only recognized method for OBJ
tanning the honey is to kill all the bees prelim-
narily by smoking them with sulphur fumes,
permitting sufficient number of colonies to
survive for reproductive purposes The bee
keepers of the United States are anxious to pre-
pare a great exhibit to represent their in
dustry at the worlds fair at Chicago. I'm
fortunately, the management of the EXPOSE
ton Is likely to defeat this purpose by
requirements. 1t demands 81 hneal foot to
pay for cases to contain the honey and other
bee products, and the bee farmers do not feel
that they can afford such an expenditure. mas
much as they would require very consider
able space for the proper display Of their pro-
ducts. On the other hand, Canada is coming
to the fair with the finest and most complete
agricultural exhibit that has ever been made
and 1t is likely to throw into the shade the show
OF the beekeeping industry of this country.
INVENTIONS OF YANKEE ORIGIN.
Nearly all Of the important inventions re-
lating to the production and manufacture Of
honey and beeswax are Of Yankee origin.
Among them is the continuance for separating
honey from the comb by centrifugal force
This idea, like so many other mechanical dis
coveries was the result Of accident, being sug-
gested to the inventor by his little boy, who
whiried basket containing piece of honey
comb around in the air. Drops Of honey few
out OF the basket, and, 10! the notion was con-
celved. Much anxiety was felt not long ago
by the beekeepers of the United States lest the
reciprocity treaty with Spain should ruin their
business by removing the duty on the honey Of
Cuba. That Spanish colony is the finest honey
producing country in the world, the rich soil and
warm climate combining to bring forth wealth
OF nectar-giving blossoms at all seasons of
the year. Mr.. Blaine listened to an appeal on
the subject and the tariff on this product was
permitted to stand. Because liquid or strained
honey Is competitor in the market with cane
sugar, the bee farmers were not pleased whGn
duty was removed from the latter article To
illustrate the usefulness of honey for human
consumption, it may not be inappropriate to
finish by quoting q word from the cassics. It
is recorded that Augustus Caesar, dining with
Polio Rumilius on the occasion of his one hum
dredth birthday, asked him how he had sue
ceeded SO admirably in preserving the vigor of
his body and mind To which the centenarian
replied laconically:
Externally by OIL internally by honey"
THE KODIAK RUSSIAN VAMPIRE,
Plumbers the Peasants Of Their Last Kopeck
by Usury,