NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1971, 14 November 1889, Page 20

NOTES AND QUERIES.

•DuNroitf.— Mr W. J. Ward writes :— I see that one of your Victorian readers. Mr John M'Phee, disputes my version of the story, and states that instead of dhun aidhan (brown face) the proper translation is dun eden (or heap of quartz), and, by Jove, I believe he is not very far wrong. I most certainly should have thought of that myself. Anyway I am convinced that the truth lies between the two of us. It only remains now, in order to determine who is right, to ascertain whether Edinburgh was built on a site surrounded with prominent quartz rocks or else on a heather-clad- siding. I am glad that Mr M'Phee did not lose sight of the primitive and simple-minded people who first established Edinburgh, because as children of Nature they 1 would be certain to call their towns and villages after some remarkable features in the landscape. To the English reader, brown face (or heap of quartz) will seem to be both incongruous and absurd, so would Henri Plantagnet reduced into English (Henry Broomsprig). ,I<> is the translation that is the cause of this, fdr in the native tongue both names Bo,ynd very sweet indeed. Alpha.— A cement fo/bftd oi certain proportions of I pitch and melted rubier and other ingredients which [makers usually keep seoret. If "|Alpha requires tome, the most satisfactory way willbeto get 6d worth from a bicycle maker. K. G.— The Chinese bell flower (pJatycodon grandij florum) is uot on sale in Dunedin yet, though a few specimens are to be found in the neighbourhood of Jiunedln. It, will no doubt be a little ex-

pensive when first introduced. Countbt Reader —The beet and most satisfactory way is to get young trees in the autumn. Many of the varieties you name are very inexpensive, going down as low as Is or 18 Gd per <iozen, while others would probably cost you a couple of shillings each for young trees of three or four years old. Some of them in their' early Beedling stage require special treatment, and entail a considerable amount of trouble, while you would further be handicapped by three or four years by rearing ' them from the seed, which, is in itself a serious consideration. We should advise you to send a complete list of the young trees you require to a reliable nurseryman, and aek him to quote his rricea. You <puld then order those which you found within your means, and reject or get only a few of the more expensive ones. Mr George Matthews, Moray place, would either qnote you the price of treeß or supply you with the seeds. 0. A. 0.— (1) We have no means of finding out, but have never heard of one. (2) Lodge the specification of the invention at the nearest Supreme Court office. You will require to pay a fee of 10s, when it will be protected for 12, months. Before the expiry of that term you must take out letters patent, which will cost you an additional £2. Subscriber, Biverton.— The best way to get rid of rats is to set a steel trap baited with a cheese crust near their haunts. It you prefer poisoning, mix loz arsenic with loz lard and oatmeal, enough to make a stiff dough, and put plates of water where it will be handy. "ar poured down their holes or In their mrfe will drive them away, but we fancy the steel trap will be found the most efficacious in

the loog run. Novice writes:— A few weeks since, in connection with an account of Lord Wolseley getting his neck twisted with a bullet and straightened by another, 1 8 aw the name of Sir Thomas Woollaeton White. Can you tell me If this is the same gentleman who once owned the Warren station near Oxford, Canterbury ?-^— We are not aware, but possibly some reader may be able to reply. ' Eubtoick.— Mr Bills, George street, kindly replies — When first batched feed the pea chicks on hard-boiled eggs, oatmeal, and ibroised hempseed for one week. After tbat.givepoiled potatoes and oatmeal or pollard mashed together. Also give separately bruised hempseed and cracked wheat, plenty of chopped cabbage, onioui, lettcce, Acr,

&o. Keep the birds very dry and do not let them out in the rain until they are about six weeks old. iJ. 8.. Hokonui.— The cream is gathered day by day; and when it has attained the proper degree of ripeness it i» put in a piece of stout calico, tied up as if It were a pudding, and buried in a" hole in a dry part of the garden. It is exhumed in about, 84 hours, put into the butter tub and worked with the butter pat for a short time, bo aa to remove the last particles of buttermilk which may not have been drawn away by the soil. The butter tub Is held on- a slight incline, bo that the buttermilk may be able to run away while the pat is being used. The length of time required. for this work .varies from three minutes to nine, according to the temperature. When no more buttermilk w ill come away the lump it washed in the usual manner, salted if required, and made up into prints. Pohtxa.— Will probably appear in next isaue. Ajax.— (l) The volunteers will take part. (2) Beardriver Bafeties, £16 10s, £18 10s, £21, and £32; ordinary bicycles, £15, £16, £2Q, and £23. (3) The matter is very simple. Bach sign represents a letter of the alphabet, thus the figure 1 represents n.'point (.) J.^ash (— ) c, the figure ß d. The word bad would consequently be represented by the signs .18. ' Volunteer a§ks if any reader can Inform him how to take black marks out of a red military coat caused by a rifle rubbing on it on a wet night. Novice.— (l) Thoußand-headed kail or cabbage is grown in a similar manner to large field cabbage such as the dtumhead and fiat Duton, and as all are gross feeders the soil must be exceptionally fertile or heavily manured. Seed sown in drills at least 2in or 3ia wide would be ready for thinning out in four, five, or six weeks according to the weather,, but the plan most generally followed is to »ow the ' seed in well-prepared seedbeds, from which the plants, when tit. are carefully transplanted out in moist weather. Thousand-headed Jiail is coming into favour as a provision of winter and spring food for stock, because frosts do not affect it intheleast, and it affords repeated cuttings. The better manured the higher the yield. (2) We suppose you propose growing sorghum for fodder. If bo, prepare the soil well and drill the seed in from 91n to 12in apart in the drills. Bear iv mind th»t sorghum, like maize, requires a free, deep soil rich Iv humus ; or on a poor soil plenty of manure. The crop cut and removed impoverishes the aoil, but the weight of green food obtained will repay the farmer for after-fertilisers needed. Header.— We have repeatedly and successfully grown two crops of turnips in succession with the express purpose of cleaning and renovating foul and exhausted land. Pulverise the soil well and drill in with the seed 2Jcwt of superphospate or prime guano and 2cwt salt per acre. Milk Fever writes •.- 1 have read the advice given , by Mr Loasby iv his letter to the Daily Times ou the outbreak of milk fever at the Taieri, and desire to warn farmers egainst adopting it in its entirety. I could easily take exception to several minor matters in his treatment, but It is only to a most ' serious mistake he has made that I will at present draw attention. He recommends the administration of a Joz dose of tincture of aconite. Now this could only have one result - viz., the speedy release by death of the suffering beast. Expetiments conducted under the auspices of the most notable veterinary colleges in the Old Country demonstrated that quarter of an ounce of aconite proved fatal in almost every ca6e in which it was administered, so that it will be evident that double the quantity could scarcely be expected to be attended with very satisfactory results The letter containing the advice taken exception to will be foundiu our farm column?. J. M.— Mr Beverly replies to your questions :-(l) At' the. Equator the sun rises and sets at 6 o'clock apparent time all the year round, but not at 6 o'clock mean time, which is the time shown by a good clock. The difference between sun time and clock time is called the equation of time, and it amounts at certain seasons to as much as 15 roinutss. (2) The latitude of Sydney Observatory is 33deg 51min 41sec, and the latitude of Auckland is about 36deg Glmin. " Z. Z. aski during which month of the year the Melbourne Athletic Club's meeting is held; also the nnroe of one of the officials connected with the club. Can any reader furnish a reply ? W. J. S.— We are of opinion that it can. Would-bb-Nimbop.— Yes.