Items Caught on the Wing. 



We were absent from home, from 

 October 2d till the 24th, and while 

 much might be said of our trip — one 

 sentence will describe the whole of it : 

 — Pleasurable and thoroughly enjoyed 

 everywhere. At Toledo, O., as guest 

 of Mr. J. Y. Detwiler, and as visitor to 

 the North-western Ohio Association 

 then in session, we found old friends as 

 well as new ones, and enjoyed our visit 

 exceedingly. 



At Cleveland and Kent in Ohio, El- 

 mira, Penn Yan, Seneca Falls, Syracuse 

 and Suspension Bridge in New York, 

 we visited with old friends and rela- 

 tives, and, of course, had an enjoyable 

 time. 



At New York City as guest of Mr. 

 Hoge and in attendance at the National 

 Convention, we received unexpected 

 honors, as well as a hearty welcome. 

 With our old friends, it was a pleasant 

 re-union ; and with our newly-formed 

 acquaintances, it was "pleasurable 

 hours," gliding into " days of delight." 



At Syracuse we enjoyed a few hours' 

 chat and visit with our fellow-laborer, 

 Mr. G. M. Doolittle. This was an 

 interview we had long desired, and we 

 made the most of the minutes as they 

 glided into "the things. that were." 

 Friend Doolittle will, hereafter, furnish 

 our readers with one of his thoroughly- 

 practical articles in every issue of the 

 Bee Journal. 



At Hamilton, Canada, as guest of 

 Mr. W. G. Walton, we spent a few 

 "happy hours"— delighting the eye 

 with many enchanting landscapes, as 

 well as cheering the heart with interest- 

 ing conversation upon bees, and things 

 thereunto belonging. 



At Lansing, we spent a few hours at 

 the Agricultural College, as guest of 

 our friend and co-laborer. Prof. A. J. 

 Cook. We looked over the magnificent 

 grounds, and handsome buildings, and 

 were delighted. Such an Institution is 

 a credit to any State, as well as of 

 incalculable benefit to the rising gener- 

 tion. 



We have heretofore made many trips 

 through fourteen of the States and 

 Canada, but never was one more full of 

 interest and pleasant reminiscences- 

 than this. 



Tons of Honey.— One of the whole- 

 sale establishments in New York 

 (Thurber & Co.) sold in one week of 

 last month 56,000 lbs. of honey (28 

 tons), and the next week 27 tons. They 

 expect to handle a million pounds this 

 season. How many millions of bees 

 have spent their loliole lives in gather- 

 ing this honey? How wonderful is 

 nature V How persistent the untiring 

 labors of " the little busy bee ?" 



i^Some men " know it all;" that is, 

 all that is worth knowing. They never 

 learn it of any one ; it was evolved from 

 their own massive brain ! Such sneer 

 at everything that is progressive, and 

 rail at men of advanced ideas ! These 

 men may be sincere, but they are un- 

 healthy and should be pitied rather 

 than reproved. Their " dog in the 

 manger " style of disposition, is a 

 source of misery not only to themselves 

 but all around them. If they live un- 

 respected, and die unregretted, who is 

 'to blame V We have a few of such 

 among bee-men — but only a few, we are 

 thankful to say. 



Care of Extracted Honey.— The 

 San Francisco Chronicle says : " Los 

 Angeles and San Diego counties can 

 vie with the world in the quality of their 

 honey, and the only drawback to exten- 

 sive foreign demand has been the care- 

 less and diversified method of market- 

 ing. We are glad to see that there is to- 

 be a change in this regard in the 

 southern counties. The process of pack- 

 ing to be pursued in future is described 

 as follows : Upon receiving the ex- 

 tracted honey they place it in large 

 settling tanks of 3,000 pounds capacity, 

 and this, securely covered, is left 

 exposed to the rays of the sun for a day 

 or so. By this process all impurities 

 are eliminated, rising to the surface, 

 and the pure honey is drawn off at the 

 bottom. It is then put up in neat tin 

 cans containing two pounds each, and 

 packed in cases of two dozen each, hand- 

 somely labeled. The design is to ship 

 direct to Liverpool, where, with proper 

 management, an extensive market can 

 be worked up." 



