NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1584, 1 April 1882, Page 17

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Amatkur asks :— (1) In salting down butter for winter use, what should bo the proportion of salt to a pound of butter ? (2) For present use what would the proportion be ?— (1) Ten ounces fine salt, two ounces saltpetre, and two ounces brown sugar, mixed together and ground. Use an mince of the mixture to a pound of the butter, and, pack firmly in perfectly clean and tight casks. (2) The above mixture, omitting tho saltpetre, less than half an ounce to tho pound of butter will be sufficient, but this will depend on the taste of the consumers, and can easily be determined by one or two trials. J. B.— At the present time there is no market 'in Uunedin for flax fibre, simply because there are no lint-mills to spin and weave it. We would recommend you to hold the straw in good order, that is, : straight, so as to be easily wrought ; as by a simple experiment now being made with the straw it is hoped to have it so prepared as to suit the requirements of some of the woollen-mills, the machinery of which may be utilised for spinning. In our next issue we Bhall give the particulars of the expenI ment, so that holders of the Btraw may be enabled to put it to trial themselves. Your sample is a very fair average, of good length, and well boiled; J. C. forwards a sample of linseed grown this season on Mr O'Neill's Ely Park Estate, Mount Barker district, Lower Wanaka.— The Beed is a fine sample, and should encourage further experiments in the ; growth of flax being made throughout the district. GbntiliE.- Sco Daily Times of the 21st inst. J. T— Any of the booksellers advertising in our columns will obtain the journal for you. It is not kept in stock. Toko.— There is no direct communication between New Zealand and Capetown, but a vessel sails once a month from Melbourne. There are no doubt occasional departures from this port, but your best plan would be to proceed to Melbourne. We do not know what the fare is. Pesny Wise and Pound Foolish asks :— What should be done to a filter through, which the water filters quite a muddy colour? The sponge hag been well washed and rinsed, and the filter has beenßcrubbed and scalded?— Put the sponge into its place and make it fit very tight ; the, sponge must be as fine a one as possible, and so large, that it] will go. into hole with difficulty, then fill the "filter with clean; water, and let the tap run for two days.into a tub or something, and you will find it gradually become bright. ' f X.Y.Z.— We shall look out for the advertisement in question, and give the particulars in a future' issue. " , , . Inqdirkr, Port Molyneux, asks, if the Government or any other public body can take a road or railway through private property (by paying for same) sup-jj poßing there is no provision made for any such thing i| In tha Crown grant ?— Yes ; under the Public Works: Act. G, H. Kurow, asks the number of' years a licensees of a deferred-payment rural section must reside on; it before being able to acquire a title to it or Crown; grant ?— The selector is requiredto reside upon the land within six months of the issuing of the license, : and to continue so to reside for six years in the case of rural land, and for four years in the cose of suburban land. " l : A. B. 0., Invercargill, asks': Could you inform me if a; person who joined the General Government service' of New Zealand on the first day of June, 1876, in the capacity of clerk, is entitled to a pension. If so, ' how long would he require to remain in the service before he could claim it, and how are pension alo-, catod.— He will not be entitled to any pension. When a Civil servant is dismissed through no fault ' of his own, he is entitled to compensation at the rate of a month's salary for every year of service. John S. G.— A solution for repairing lndiambbershoeß is made as follows :— Cut two pounds of indiarubber into thin slices, put them into a vessel of tinned sheetiron, and pour over 12 to 14 pounds of sulphide of • carbon. For hastening the solutiou, place the veß- , sol in another containing water previously heated to about 86 degrees. The solution will take placepromptly, but the fluid will' thicken very soon, and 1 thus interfere with further use. In order to pro- ; vent this thickening, prepare the following solution, and add it in such a quantity that the mixture obtains the consistence of thin paste :— Cut one pound of indiarubbar into thin slices, heat in a suitable vessel over a moderate fire until the rubber becomes fluid, then add a half-pound of powdered rosin, and melt with moderate heat. When these materials are entirely fluid, gradually add three poundS f of spirits of turpentine, in email quantities, stirring well. By the addition of the last preparation the rapid hardening of the first solution will be prevented, and a mixture obtained which may be kept at hand for the purpose of glueing together rubber surfaces. , J. M.— You do not designate the branch of engineering upon which you wish information. This, as a profession, embraces a very wide range of subjects, and is divided into different departments, each,of which will require a beginner to be well qualified in mathematics and trigonometry before attempting to master any special branch. Civil, engineering includes the designs and construction of canals, river navigation, harbours, docks, roads, bridges, railways, lighthouses, water supply, > irrigation, sowerage, gas supply, telegraphs, &c. Mechanical engineering includes machinery, mill work, steamengines, iron ship-building, implements, &c. Mining engineering includes the working and raising of coal, lead, iron, copper, and other minerals. And military engineering includes fortification, gunnery, artillery, telegraphy, &c, as applied in warfare. Works upon any of these subjects may be obtained from leading publishers. C. C. R. - To waterproof tweed cloth, dissolve 3 ounces of alum in 1 gallon of water ; dissolve the same quantity of sugar of lead in a similar quantity r of water, and mix the two together. The cloth is im-, mersed for one hour in tho solution, and stirred occasionally, when it is taken out, dried in the shade, washed in clean water, and dried again. Garments may bo "waterproofed" in this manner, but the better plan is to prepare the cloth before makingup. The process will shrink the cloth, aud the colour i will be rendered more durable, while in appoarance it does not differ from unprepared cloth. Makia C— The plant from which the pert umo patchouli is derived is an Asiatic shrub, about two feet high, with slightly lobed scallop-toothed leaves about four inches long. The plant is prepared for commerce by cutting off the tops of the plant, about one foot long, and partially drying thorn in the sun. They- are then packod for exportation. Sachets of patchouli aro small ha«n filled with cotton aud the broken Jeavos. The odour is to some persons quite insupportable, while others aro passionately fond of it.