NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 1813, 20 August 1886, Page 21

NOTES AND QUERIES.

To Correspondents. — A number of letters came to hand too late for insertion in this issue in consequence of thefloods. G.— ln root grafting the roots are operated on as the stems have hitherto been. Although it is by no means in common use, this mode of grafting is very convenient on some occasions. Having laid bare the roots to be operated on, shape the graft by cutting its lower extremity into a shape resembling the mouthpiece of a flageolet, with a tooth or shoulder in its upper part. Cut the root across, and make a vertical cut in the separated part to receive the tongue of the scian, with an opening also corresponding with the tooth in the scion. Bring the scion and vertical cut together so that all the parts cut meet and cover each other, meeting just below the last bud on the scion, then bandage in the usual way. Subscriber, Awamoko.— Bo:h sites are included, but it does not follow that the committee are bound to spend money on each or either. What is the committee for if is not to be allowed to come to a decision on questions of this nature? If the members were required to be mere automatons the annual election would be a mere waste of time. J.W.D. — Your note arrived too late for this week's Farm pages, but will appear in next issue. We shall be glad to hear from you at any time. An Old Subscriber writps in answer to a query in a former issue that Mrs Kevin, of Waipori, supplies the " People's Journal " at 6s 6d per annum. Mimulus. — There are many ways of estimating the height of'objects with little or no calculation. For instance, if the height is perpendicular and the ground in front on a level with the base, take two pieces of wood hinged or jointed together at an angle of 45deg, or a large pair of compasses opened to that angle. Place one leg horizontal, and directed to the base of the object, and move the instrument towards it or from it until the other leg points to the top. Then the distance of the angle from the bottom gives the height. The folio wing /is a Canadian method for gauging the height of trees :— Walk from the tree and observe it from time to time by bending tbe head between the knees. When the top of the tree can be seen in this way, the distance trom the root of the tree equals the height. T.H.— Tar will certainly injure your trees, and ?s there is no occasion for you to use it, we should stiongly advise you not to do so. You will find either cow-dung or blood quite as efficacious, stems smeared with either being every bit as objectionable to rabbits as those smeared with tar. Subscriber.— The pukeko (or pakuru), or swamphen, was proclaimed game in the Gazette on the 12th Instant, to take effect from the date of publication. Joe Sedxey.— Tack the skin on a board, flesh side out, and then scrape with a blunt knife ; then rub it over with pulverised chalk until it will hold no more ; then take the skin from the board and cover it with pulverised alum. Double half-way "over, with flesh side in contact, roll tightly together, and keep dry for three days ; after which stretch it again on a board and dry it in the air and it will be ready for use. Ulster. — There has not been time to learn the names of the eight persons who were killed by the railway accident on the Great Northern line. The news was telegraph* d to America, and not forwarded by mail. Your best method would be to endeavour to see an Irish paper ot the day succeeding the date of the accident. Your local institute will no doubt take one or more Irish papers ; if not, you can proenre one at a local bookseller's, or see one in the Dunedin Athenicum when the time conies. E.M.— (l) The 19th January, 1870, fell on a Wednesday ; the 4th June, 1872, on a Tuesday. (2) We are not aware — probably in about three weeks from date of sailing. X.L.N.C., Mataura, writes :— " Two men were looking at a picture, when one said to the other, ' What relation is the person in that picture to you?' The other, pointing to the picture, replied, ' Sisters and brothers have I none, but that man's father was my lather's son.'"— The only possible answer can be, his own son. Inquirer, Hoslyn Bush.— (1) At the date of the 1881 census there were 28,:31,152 Protestants, 16,232,651 Catholics, 561,612 Jews, 78,031 other sects, and 30,615 no religion in Germany, The percentages of Protestants and Catholics respectively were 62-6 and 35 # 9. (2) The German people are generally credited with being the best educated people in the worldl (3) We have not the figures of the last census to hand, but the number given in the previous was 68,349. (4) The total English population of the world is 87,760,000. Of this number 20,900,000 are Episcopalians (Church of England), 15,650,000

Methodists, 14,200,000 Roman Catholics, 10 400 0100 1 0 7,100,(i00 Baptists, 6,5U0,000 Congre«ationali'sts 1.000,000 Unitarians, 1,000,000 Freethought' 2.ooo.ooo minor sects, and 8 500,000 of no particular religion. (5) The inquiry ot cue autiirnpometnc committee of the British Association resulted in the following conclusions on this point :— Height Weight. Scotch, (JS-eiin ... ... 165'31b Irish. 67-90 in ... ... 1541b English, tV7'3(Mn ... ... 1551b Welsh, GS-6tsin ... ... 158-31b It will therefore be seen that the Scotch carried off the palm both in height and weight. Subscriber, Owake. — If your neighbour does anything by means of which he avails himself of your fence, e.g., by erecting a gate, then he would be liable for interest at 10 per sent, ou half the cost, and for half the cost of repairs. J.T.B. — (1) Six years. (2) One month's wages paid in full and dividend on the rest. (8) The company. An Old Subscriber writes: — I was glad to see some reply in the Witness of August 6 to Garrett's reminiscences which you published some time since. I think the reminiscences only proclaimed the man; and without passiDg judgment on him, I may say that " out of thine own nao'ith will I condemn thee," for more distorted views of right and wrong he could not have given — showing not a shadow of repentance on his part, but casting slurs on his fellow-prisoners, his gaolers, and all authority ;— in fact, a blast ot envy, hatred, malice, and all unoharilableness, and an illustration of the words : " Then farewell hope, And with hope, farewell fear. Farewell remorse ; All good to me is lost — Evil be thou my good." Querist. — It means that the proceedings were not in accordance with the law. K.S — Yes ; they have both a deliberative and a casting vote. Ralf, Wilfrkd, Elizabeth, and Lizzie. — Your communications have come to hand and will appear next week. Querist asks the meaning and origin of the phrase " showing the white feather." Rabbiteb, Hokonui. writes that the result of his two years' experience of rabbiting is that he has arrived at tlie conclusion that unless somebody pays a fair price for skina— either the Government or the settlers— the pest will continue a curse to the country. Jennie writes: — Will some compassionate housewife kindly tell me the secret- if there be a secret —of making a " Zcalandia" range throw out sufficient heat into a room to make the temperature a trifle above zero ? or will she say how to raise sufficient heat to cook a joint in less time than eight or nine hours ? It has been my misery to be confronted by a "Zealandia" range in every new house that I have rented, with the result that I consider the same range " a mockery, a delusion, and a snare." Who will be good enough to remove the odium from my mind? — Jennie does not say what kind of coal she uses. Whatever it may be let her change it to Kaitangata, give the range a thorough cleansing at least once a fortnight, and keep the chimney clean, and we have no hesitation in asserting that she will find nothing to complain of in future. Of course there may be some local fault in the chimney, but independent of this these ranges are, so far as our experience goes, infinitely preferable to the Home ones when Kaitangata cbal or lignite is the fuel burned. Probably tor true coal the Home ranges give greater satisfaction, bnt there is, of course, no necessity to use the dearer article when the cheaper one does much better. Letters to the Editor.— A number are unavoidably held over till next week.