NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2026, 22 December 1892, Page 25

NOTES AND QUERIES.

F.— (l) The number of cows is too small to warrant the use of steam machinery separators. The separators most commonly in use in the Home country are Laval's, Peteren's, and the Alexandra, all of which are efficient. Of these probably the "Laval Alpha Patent" would be found by you most suitable for your wants. Nos. S, B, and X are hand-power machines, but the X separator can be fitted with friction gear and worked by a pony. " No. S" is capable of skimming 30gal per hour, and its price is £22 ; "No. B" skims 65gal per hour, and its price is £35 ; " No. X" skims b'Ogal per hour, pnee L 37 10s. Larger of the "Laval Alpha .Patent" separators are described as the "Pony," "Al," "A 2," "El," and "E2." The "Pony" takes one pony power, but is adaptable for horse, water, or steam power. Its separating capacity is up to HOgal per hour, and the price £50. The " Al " takes one-horse power, and will separate 180 gal per hour, price £67 10s. The A 2 separates 320 gal per hour, price £80. Both of the A's are adaptable for horse, water, or steam power j but "Al" is one-horse, whereas A 2 takes two-horse power. No. "El" takes one-horse power, steam, and is fitted with steam turbine wheel, price £72 10s; capacity, 186 gal per hour. The E2 takes two-horde power steam, and is fitted with steam turbine wheel ; its capacity is 320 gal per hour, aed price £90. It is noted by the agents that the prices quoted include Intermediates where requisite. ($) Yes. The Dunedin agents are Messrs Nimmo and Blair, to whom you should make early application, as the demand for the machines is extending so rapidly as to tax the manufacturers resources to the utmost, and consequently there are occasional delays in filling orders. In fact the firm referred to have orders now booked. There is another advantage in procuring a ' machine through this channel. Transhipment charges are avoided, and the only additional cost to a purchaser is in the items covering port dues, landing* and conveyance to railway truck. In reply to a direct inquiry the firm stated that for the " No. X," for example, the dues aiid charges would amount to about 8s 6"d., In connection with the "subject it may be mentioned that " tread-power 3 " for bull or horse are now much used in America to drive dairy machinery. Capeweed.— (l) A strong solution of saltpetre (as much as hot water will dissolve), and used in the proportion of a tablespoonful to lgal of milk when immediately drawn from a turnipfed cow, has been found to partially at least prevent the transmission of the objectionable turnip flavour to butter. The solution must be thoroughly incorporated with the milk either by stirring or by putting an allotted quantity in the bottom of the milking, and drawing the milk from the cow upon it. You . may give the plan a trial with milk from cows impregnated with capeweed flavour ; it is doubtful, however, if the taste is very strong, that the remedy would prove altogether efficacious, and there are no recorded successes with other remedies tried from time to time. (2) Capeweed does not readily die cut ; on the contrary, its pestiferous influence is felt because of the rapidity of its self-propagation and spread. If the grass in the paddock is really so good that you hesitate to • break it up with the view to thoroughly cultivate the soil, and under a special course of cropping eradicate weeds, you may by repeated use of the "spud " suppress and ultimately kill out the capeweed by culling all plants as they make their appearance three or four inches beneath the surface. Even cutting close to the surface with the scythe will repress their vegetation, and on no part of the farm should a single plant be permitted to flower and seed. If you do not find it convenient or practicable to eradicate the weed as suggested, you may adopt another alternative— depasture the field ■with young cattle, fattening beasts, or sheep. Collier.— Mr Beverly replies: — (1) The pump would work easier with a 3in discharge pipe. Suppose the water in the 2Jin pipe has the moderate velocity of 3ft per second, the friction would, in 10 chains of pipe, be equal to 14ft in addition to the 50ft the water has to be raised, or a pressure of b'4ft in all. Now substitute a -3in pipe and, the discharge being the same, the velocity is reduced to 2ft per second, and the friction is reduced to 7ft, or one half. If the velocity is 4ft per second in the 2iin pipe, . the saving would be 12ft, because friction vanes as the square of the velocity. (2) The pressure on the valves would be less with the wider pipe. A common lift pump will not raise water more than 30ft. To raise water 100 ft requires a force pump. No pump will act against pressure unless tie plunger fits the barrel, because the pressure would force the water through between them. Lamb.— A steamer leaves Dunedin for Greymouth every 10 days, the fares being :— Saloon, £5 5s ; steerage, £3. A small steamer connects with Hokitika every other day, the fare being 10s. From Hokitika to Gillespie's is 97 miles, and this is done by coach, but we do not know what the fare is. Perhaps Borne West Coast reader may oblige with the information. Valentine.— (l) For gooseberry wine see answer to May in last week's ladies' page. (2) For black currant vinegar put 201b of juicy black currants into an earthenware jar with cover. Pour over them 12 bottles of triple clarified French vinegar. Cover, and let stand covered for three weeks, mashing and bruising the fruit every morning with a wooden spoon. Then strain and squeeze the liquid through a cheese-cloth bag. Take for every pint of liquor lib best white sugar. Clarify by boiling it m a preserving-pan in the following way : For every lib sugar put quarter of a pint of water. Then add the beat-up whites of six eggs. When boiling add another quarter-pint of water for each pound. Boil and skim till clear, then add the vinegar. Boil and skim for ten minutes, strain through muslin, and bottle, cork, and s 3al at once. It will be ready for use in a week, and will keep for years. Pakeha writes ;— (1) B owns land and improvements of the total value of £ 11,682. His mortgages on same amount to £7335. Who pays land tax on the £7335, Bor the mortgagee 1 (2) If B pays land tax on the mortgage,, does the mort- ■ gagee also pay income tax on the interest of the £7335 ? (1) The mortgagee pays the tax'ton the £7335 as on land, except that it is not graduated. 2. No. Landlord asks :— Has a tenant the right to take away with him rose trees or othershrubs he has planted when his tenantage is up"' An ordinary tenant his no such right, but a nurseryman has. H. M. S. asks :—lf: — If I have a section of land fenced on all sides except one which has a river frontage, has any stranger or any person but mys> If a right to traverse up and down the river banks of my section, or break down fonces and drive stock along the same, because the Survey department have reserved half-chain or chain frontage along tbe banks of this river and all other natural watercourses? We are surprised that such a question should be asked. You have no right to carry your fence across the reserve to the river. Your proper course is to carry the fence along the boundary between your land and the reserve ; otherwise you are liable to have your fence broken down at any time on the reserve by anglers, &c. To Correspondents.— A number of letters are unavoidably held over till next issue.