fibre is broken up, again steamed and once more put through the press, thus yielding all its available wax.
Meantime the liquid quickly solidifies into a large block of a dark green, coarse and tallowy substance, which is at once boiled down and ran off into small earthenware saucers, then assuming the appearance of sample No. 3.
The loss in weight of the manufacturer’s original purchase of 10 piculs of berries has by this time amounted to 8.50 piculs. His first quantity was reduced to 8.80 piculs by the thrashing process, and of the liquid now produced from the press he has only one picul and a-half in the form of sample No. 3.
In order to purify and bleach the wax for export, it now becomes necessary to re-boil it in its present stage, mixed with water and ashes (either shell or charcoal ashes) and again run it off into large blocks. These blocks are then cut up into thin strips or stored, placed on mats and exposed to the air, during fine clear weather only, for a period of fifteen days and occasionally sprinkled with water. The material is then again boiled down, mixed with water only this time, and run into large blocks. Once more are these blocks cut up into thin strips and again exposed to the air; this time for a period of about five days.
Again boiled down, with no water, the impurities rise to the surface and are skimmed off, leaving the residue to be run into saucers, assuming the shape and colour of sample No. 4 which is the vegetable wax as known to the European consumer.
The various stages from sample No. 3 to the final one No. 4 have further reduced the weight of wax from 1.50 piculs to 1.44 piculs, and the cost of this production now stands at about the following figures, viz:—
