Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-03-11
BETTER THAN BEESWAX.
A PECULIAR INSECT SUBSTANCE OF
STRANGE ORIGIN.

Recent Investigation OF Its Production.
How the Insects Eeed-Their Propaga-
tIon aud III. Uses TO which the Wax
l. Fut II 4. Worth 81 "a Pound.
Recently the steamer Gaelic brought from
China three small packages carefully in
closed in mating AMI oil paper, and bearing
the superscription. 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 be 800, or
81 pound, The box wHs consigned to
leading silk manufacturers at Paterson,
\. j., and the u~s' ia which the wax was TO
be rmt j. the glazing nt their mill product.
This waS D. a peculiar substance differing
materially from the bpe product and is in it's
way unique production In fact 1t is the
only variety of wax actually secreted by an
animal The wonderful Chinese compila.
ton Pen Tsto, MH L Urh," that treats Of
every species Of the animal vegetable and
mineral Kingdom known 10 the author and
his collaborators speaks Of this wax pro
ducing insect as living on dew" and says
that wax perspircs from its body"
II WAS KNOWN OF n l655
The substance Is, when free from impur-
titles, white, hard and translucent melting
al ~ to 50 degs, eentigrade, and can he
handled without soiling anything 1t comes
In contact with. When used on textile
| fabrics IL imparts glossy sheen that en-.
dures for a long period Being free from
stearic or any other acid, II does not iniure
vegetable or any fibers.
In the work entitled "Novus Atlas 81.
nensis, by Martini. published at Rome In
1865. the first mention OF his peculiar wax
Is made known TO Europeans The Jesuit
fat hers, In their various monographs on
Chinese matters, also mention the subject,
hut until 1890 the world at large was In
ignorance Of the true habits OF the wax
producing insect and the methods EN-
ployed 10 gat her the wax. This knowledge
was gained Ivy MIR Hosie OF the British
consular service, who was stationed at
Chun King on the upper Yangtse river, in
the border province of Szechuen. His en-.
tomological and botanical Qualification OF
the subject Is admli,e, TO be conclusive,
and sets at rest the questions that have
been raised from time Ia time
The insect Itself belongs to the family OF
CoccidG, an order that embraces the cochi.
neal bug. lac insect, the mealy bug. vine
gall and coffee bug IL begins It's life on
the leaves OF a large leaved privet OF the
laurel type In the form Of small scales, pre-
sumably eggs
now THE WAX Is SECURED.
The tree grows In the Chen Chang val
ley. The embryo insect scales are gathered
from the leaves aud made up into paper
packages of n catty each Zone and one-third
pounds, and Ia loads ~ sixty pounds
porters carry them over mountain and
stream To the high lands near CHA ting.
foo Ia Szcchucu. Only during the cool
nights the porters travel as during the
day the temperature is too high aud would
tend to the development of the insects and
their escape from the scales Upon arrival
ct the high lands the scales are unpacked,
and from twenty To thirty inciosed in q
leaf of the wood oil tree. are attached to
the branches Of u species OF mountain ash
Fraxinus Chincnsisj
I Thirteen days is said 10 lie the period OF
incubation, aud when the insects emerge
| from the sr1les they travel from the
branches 10 the leaves, nesting among
them for week. Taking mp positions on
the branches, the females commence TO de
post scales. while the males excrete the
substance known rs white wax Tho wax
appears as n white coating on the under
side OF tho leaves and twigs, and gradually
spreads over the whole branch, attaining
after three months thickness OF quarter
OF an inch
The branches are then Topped of and the
wax removed partly by hand, this being
the first quality, and partly by boiling the
branches. this latter method rendering the
wax dark and inferior Finally the In.
sects that have sunk to the bottom Of the
pot art placed in bag aud squeezed under
a rude press until they give up the last
drop of their product. Owing TO the crude
treatment the insects aud eggs are do
stroyed, rendering necessary the supply OF
fresh scales by the method described.
HOW THE WAX n usED.
Although undivided attention and re.
search were given to the insects during the
period of production and their active ex.
istenee, 70 the nnaided eye there Is no
visible impression on leaves or bark The
deduction i therefore drawn thai the wax
Ia actually produced from the resources OF
the insects internal economy, and not OBJ
tanned from the vegetable tissue OF the
tree. The strange fact remains that both
the laurel and ash, upon which the insect
Ia matured aud rests in an embryo state,
are both members Of the order Oeaee, TO
which tile olive tree belongs
The Chinese use he wax for coating the
tallow candles used in temples and in the
homes OF the wealthy. as glaze for fine
paper, silks and eottous and also 20 polish
high grades Of furniture and ornaments
So valuable is the wax deemed that the ut
most care is taken in it's transport to it's
destination, and it is placed In the treasure
rooms of the steamers that carry tt from
the upper HangtSe ports TO Shanghai and
other points on the Chinese coast. thereby
incurring mn expense Of extra freightaRe.
We're 1t possible TO procure supply Of
fhsa pt fbIa nrn,IftafR.K
there II no doubt that they could he prcpA |
gated IN California, as the laurel, ash aud |
olive grow IN luxuriancc in the state and
a valuable article Of commerce would be |
secured. The entire production Is esti |
mated to he only 10000 TO 1900 pounds |
during the season, from April 10 June IL
Il exported from the two western provinces 1
Of China, Szechuen and Houan.-San |
Francisco Chronicle.
An Early Map Of North AraericA.
The editor owns an original copy of Hey |
hn's hGosmographich ti659l, containing a |
% (. II