NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1812, 13 August 1886, Page 21

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Yon Tempsky's Death.— Mr W. Elder, Port Chalmers, writes as follows in reply to " E. J. C.'s " query :— Von Tempsky, Captains Buck and Palmer, and Lieutenants Hunter and Hastings were killed in the second attack on Te Ngutu o te Manu, on September 7, 1868, one of the most disastrous reverses suffered by the colonial forces. — Another correspondent writes :— Major Yon Tempsky was killed on September 7, 1868, in the second attack on Te Ngutu ote Manu. He bad hesitated to obey M'Donnell's order to retire, and stepped back a few paces to view the strength oi the Maoris' position, and was immediately shot dead.— Vide " Gudgeon's War in New Zealand," page 181 et seq. Edith.— You would be very foolish indeed to tamper with your hair under the circumstances. Why not keep it cut short if it affects your head in the manner you describe ? A hairdresser could thin it for you if yon object to having it close cub, but we should strongly recommend you to avoid the use of chemicals to gain the desired end. Pure Water.— (l) Chemists have an appliance for distilling water, but we fancy a license requires to be taken out for their use, and we doubt verymuch whether a private person could obtain one We do not think the method yon propose would prove practicable. Why nob try one of the Oamaru stone filters, which would in all probability answer your purpose equally as well as a still, and be not only much simpler but also much less costly A number ot these manufactured by Mr W M White, of Kensington, y, ere exhibited at the' late Poultry Show in Dunedin, and attracted considerable attention. There is al6o a manufactory in Oaraaiu, and we believe the filters have been ro-

celved with considerable favour in that district. (2) You would certainly render ycfursfclf amenable to the law by ttsing the still and worm vTiicli you describe, and we should strongly rec6m»end yoit nbt td entertain the idea of doing so. iNtjfrfiiEß, Soiiihlan^, wriieS j— l Wave a' cow which is not well. Fearing ie ihiif m ttfbe'rculqsis, I would ask what are the indications by V.'hitjft ' the disease may be known in a cow ? Could it be known by the milk if the milk were analysed ? The history of this particular cow is : She had her first calf 14 months ago, before which she was quite healthy. Some two months after calving ehe seemed unwell, and I administered to her lib of Epsom salts and §lb of ginger in a bucket of gruel. In a fortnight or so I repeated the dose, as she «eem,ed ,oilt dt sorts, since which, although lbw ill cqncMjton, she, always 1 feeds we)l. F6r two mbnths I did nbt Milt tier. $he Had her second calf a month ago, and although she ffc'ddfi r*ftll «ud milks well, she has become exceedingly weak, a'fld does not seem to have the right power over her hindquarters. We feed her twice a day on raw sliced turnips, followed by a liberal allowance of cut oatpn chaff, and give her an occasional warm drink with a little oatmeal in it, and straw ad libitum. She is housed all night and on rough days. The shed is dpen behind, with n north-east eiptistirb. She ndithei- viheesteS nt)r cdufehs. Answer to the Above.— We would scarcely be justified in saying in an offhand way that your cow ia suffering from tuberculosis, although' the symptoms detailed by you apparently indicate the presence of that disease. In an advanced stage the breathing of the animal is affected, and the beast wastes away gradually and dies. When pleuro-pneumonia raged in the early days in Victoria, the lungs of cattle dying from disease not well known at the time, but'supposed to be pleuro, were frequently forwarded to the Pieuro-pneu-monia Commissioners for examination, when it was ascertained that the cause of death was tuberculosis. Dr Fleming, principal veterinary surgeon of the British army, in a paper on " Pasteur aud his Work," writes of tuberculosis thus : " One of the most treacherous .md invasive as well as destructive diseases of cattle, which is capping the vitality of the best breeds ( and which is communicable from the boviue to some other species — most probably also to mankind— through consuming infected milk and flesh, is tuberculosis, or 1 consumption.' " Ifc is further added that the microbe or baccillus "of this infectious scourge" can be reproduced in " a culture fluid." which when inoculated will cause the disease. The different micro-organisms which originate and accdmpany specific diseases are readily distinguishable, and among the many the bacillus of tuberculosis. The microscope, not analysis, is the detective agent. It is possible that the cow may be suffering from injury at abortion or slight fever afterwards. The medicine you administered was right enough with the exception of the ginger, which (£lb we read) was greatly in excess. As the animal continues to weaken, give her doses of lib salts and 21b treacle— an interval of three or four days intervening according to the action of the first dose. Give very little dry food, and substitute bran maßhes and oatmeal gruel ddnks to support the strength of the cow. Warmth also is a primary consideration. If cared for during a few weeks, and the ailment is not tuberculosis, or " consumption," the beast will be restored to health by the spring grass and warm weather. Constant Reader, Waikaia.— An efficient cream separator is much too costly for a small farm. Mr W. D. Sutherland, of George street, Dunedin, can supply you with a handy butter worker. The cost of a Laval or Danish cream separator varies according to capacity. If you write giving information regarding the quantity of milk you would have available, we 'can give you particulars of cost of machine. H. 8., Kereru.— We cannot do better than give Inspector M'Kay's recipe, which is as follows :—: — From l}lb to l£lb of phosphorus to 1001b grain, adding a little 6f1.1t. Fill a cask, which must be air-tight, three parts full with grain, and pour in boiling water until the water comes level with the grain. Some drain off the" water after the grain has been thoroughly saturated, and then add the phosphorus without being dissolved. Others dissolve the phosphorus immediately before mixing. The phosphorus being added, the cask should be rolled about until the grain and phosphorus are thoroughly mixed. The mixture should be allowed to stand for 24 hours in the cask before being used. The above proportions make a strong mixture, but it is at all times wise to use plenty of phosphorus. Subscriber, LovelFs Flat.— The work published by the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association is the only draught horse stud book issued in New Zealand. Bu&hman, Makarewa.— A common method of smoking bacon is to hang it in the fireplace, if the chimney is sufficiently roomy to admit of this being done. Of course care must be taken not to leave it near enough the flame to be affected by the heat. A large cask with the bottom knocked out makes an efficient smoker for a small quantity, or a close shed with a ground floor will act equally as well. Make a smoulder with sawdust and charcoal, and leave hanging for two or three days, according to the density of the smoke. Some woods are much better than others for this purpose. At Home oak and beech are preferred. In the colonies bluegum and some kindred woods have been proved to be very inferior, failing to impart an agreeable flavour. Constant Reader.— His address is Park street, Kensington. M. B. C— There are 18 letters in the Gaelic alphabet — viz. : a, b, c, d, c, f, g, h, i, 1, m. n, o, p, r, s, t, v. The Utters omitted are : j, k, q, w, x, y, z, while v is represented by bh. F. A. F.. Ulverstone. — The specimen of grass you forward is Poa annua. Tommy.— (l) The s.s. Arawata runs to Fiji every four weeks. Fares : Single— Saloon, £17 ; steerage, £9. Return— Saloon, £27 4s ; steerage, £14 Bs. (2) The fares by steamer from Port Chalmers to Calcutta is — First, £46 ; second, £31. J.M., Dipton. — The great secret in ferret keeping is so upulous regard for cleanliness. Do not put too many ferrets in a box, and see that the boxes are kept thoroughly clean. Feed on porridge and milk in the morning, only giving a. small quantity of ment in the afternoon. The only work on ferrets that we know of Mas one published at the Field office, London. Yon could not get it in the colonies, but if it is in print any bookseller would procure it for you. Subscriber. — It depends entirely upon the written agreement: if there is no written agreement a month's notice would be required. Acrostic, Lindis. -Defendant can either make a declaration or take the oath in the Scotch form. Subscriber, Waitati South. — Yes, unless they are barred by lapse.of six years. Hindon. — Such a contract could not prevent anyone destroying rabbits on the lands in question. Amateur (Manugraph).— Glycerine, 320z; gelatine, 7oz. Cost, about 7s. X. N.— There are no doctors in Dunedin who make the diseases you refer to a specialty, but all the medical men here are fully competent to undertake any case, as they have a wide experience of the subject. H.L. — Many thanks for reply ; see above. Inquirer, Wangaloa.— The following information was given in reply to similar queries asked by a correspondent a few weeksago :— Examinations : — 1. General knowledge: (1) Latin— Cscsar, books 1 and 2; (2) Latin Grammar; (3) Arithmetic, and algebra to simple equations ; (4) History— General knowledge ot the priucipal events and dates in English history— Creasy on the Constitution. 11. La-v: Theory and practice of the laws of England and of New Zealand, including real property and conveyancing, contracts and torts, equity, criminal law, evidence, practice and procedure, and New Zealend statute law. Books: Stephen's Commentaries or Broom's Commentaries. Anson on Contracts, Underbill on Torts, Williams' Keal Property, Williams'" Personal Property, Harris' Principals of Criminal Law, Shaw on Equity, Pennetather on the Code of Procedure, Badger's Statutes, and Cumin's Index to the Statute

Law. A Header asks :— Which ploughman has taken the greatest number of prizes in tJifa colony with the

double-furrow plougli. (2) What is the largest number of ploughs t*;at have competed at any match in the colony, and who won. Also, whether yon by swing or double-furrow plough. The replies aie required to settle a dispute between tw o ploughmen. — As we do not Keep the records ot the various matches wo cannot, say. hut possibly Borne enthusiast among our subscribers mny be in a position to do so.