Page 26 Advertisements Column 5

Otago Witness, Issue 2051, 15 June 1893, Page 26

NOTES AX» QUEBIES, J. W.— (l) Members nominated prior to the night of the election of a school committee are on no different footing to those nominated on the night of election. (2) They have to stand the same chance of election. Rusticus.— Mr Beverly replies that if your point of departure was lft too high, every other point measured from it must also be lft too high. Southland.— Not unless it is done in a public manner and in a public place. From the nature of your query we should say you can do nothing in the matter. S. R.— (l) Yes, but they would find it somewhat difficult, and had much better have legal assistance. (2) Yes, if the ground for suit is since the passing of the Married Women's Property Act. There would, however, be no use in her doing so unless she has a separate estate. (3) If the sheep dip is not efficacious, dress the trees with a mixture of Jib softsoap, lib flour of sulphur, andioz black pepper boiled together iv 4gal of water for 20 minutes. Add a little lime if not thick enough. Inquirer.— Mr J. A. Miller answers your queries as follows :— (1) I cannot say whether any dredges are at work inland of the West Coast. (2) All dredges, so far as I am aware, are afloat and work wet ground, never having heard of any working ground in a dry state. In all dredges the power must be in proportion to the quantity of material to be raised in a given time and the depth from which it is raised. Some time ago it was proposed to work Macraes Flat, Central Otago, by dredging machinery without a pontoon, the machinery being placed upon the surface of the flat. In all cases where it has been desired to raise auriferous material from a low to a higher level, and where the hydraulic jet elevator has been employed, this principle of working has given satisfaction so far as the modxis operandi is concerned. For thi3 purpose you require pressure and a constant stream. Every 100 ft of fall will raise wash and stone 10ft vertically. Perhaps the hydraulic jet elevator will answer your purpose. Old Subscriber.— lt is no doubt a little troubletome, though if done when it comes to hand it really only takes a minute. The defect will, however, probably be remedied in the course of a twelvemonth. Ferrets.— An authority says:— l have found nothing equal to sulphur ointment made up with vaseline, well rubbed into the skin ; their coats will soon come on again. For footrot, soak their feet in turpentine about twice a week, then rub with the above ointment ; clip their nails short. Sweats are caused generally through bad ventilation of their hutches ; the air must get well out at the top. Large tubs or hogsheads, with a wire netting cover over similar to a sieve, are the healthiest places, and are so easily cleaned out. Cure for sweatsplenty of fresh straw twice a day till cured. If their coats get matted, it will soon come all right. Olearia Angustifolia.—" F. P." writes : — I notice in your last issue a paragraph on " a rare flower," the Olearia angustifolia. I recently brought a packet of the seeds of this shiub back with me from Preservation Inlet. The bhrub grows to great perfection on Observation Point, Preservation Inlet, close to the sea, and many large shrubs of it can be obtained just at the point by the rocks there. The flower has a beautiful purple centre, and grows with large clusters of bloom, lasting from early in November until January ; the scent from the blooms is most exquisite and very powerful, much resembling the heliotrope. I was told by a halfcaste that the Maoris call it Tettie a weika. Mr Richard Norman writes in reply to some queries in the Witness of May 25 :— (1) The locomotive power of the spider has been known to naturalists for decades past, but that does not in the least lessen the value of the observations of amateur naturalists. On the road from Pembroke to Glendhu on a sunny autumn afternoon is a remarkably good time and place to notice spidsrs hanging on the end of yards and yards of fine gossamer, which sails out with the slightest current of air. They are in some Earts of the road to be seen by the thousand, anqing from every bush and rock, everything in fact that is above the surface of the ground. As the sun shines on the gossamer threads they can be easily seen, and are very beautiful. We have about 25 different kinds here, and some of them are very ourious. There is a small grey hunting spider which carries a whole lot of young ones on its back. Some kinds sink to the bottom of the water like a pebble if they fall in. I remember once, about 20 years ago, a little baby suddenly began to screech and kick most violently, and seemed in great agony. Its clothes were taken off with great rapidity, when I saw in its clothes a small flat blue spider which lives in cracks in wood. The baby's clothes had been hung on a wooden fence to dry and the spider had been taken in with them. Sundry red and inflamed places showed how severely it had been bitten, but no ill effects followed. (2) Fowls will live and thrive on sorrel seed, but they will not eat it if they can get plenty of grain. They require to get used to it, as they are not likely to take to it at first. The best plan is to mix a little finely-broken wheat with the sorrel seed, and then scald the lot and throw it to the fowls in a heap. I know of a lot of fowls that ate six bags of sorrel seed and did well on it. They will eat fathen seeds also under similar circumstances. An enginedriver once told me that sorrel seed would blaze fiercely in the engine fire, owicg to the oil it contained, but a careful trial did not bear out this statement by any means. (3) The Rev. Ralph Brown, of Melbourne, is a teacher of Mneumonica. (4) I would strongly recommend anyone to try the African box thorn if he wants a hedge that never lequires trimming, and is impassable, but gives little or no shelter. I have five or six plants presenting these characteristics growing in gravel, and they are about 10 years old. The blacksmith at Georgetown, near Oamaru, has his small paddock surrounded by a fine box thorn hedge, which a horse or bullock A\ould never try to go through. The main limbs are alout the thickness of a chair leg. When I saw the hedge it was covered with about £5 worth of seeds in pear-shaped berries, which are crimson when ripe and full of small seeds. There must have been some pounds' worth of seed on this hedge when I saw it. (5) With reference to the question whether sad irons deteriorate with age, I have always understood that they do, and a case in point has been quoted to me in which a set have been in a family for about 30 years, and they will not keep the heat at all, and are therefore of no value. It is also said that if the irons once get nearly red hot they will not keen the heat again ; but possibly if they were all tempered afresh in the factory they would be as good as new. Old Subscriber.— (l) We think they are not, as the land is a public reserve. (2) The lessees are bound to keep the stock from straying. H. L. M.— There is evidently something constitutionally wrong with the children. You should have them examined by a medical man. It would be of no use applying any medicaments, as the seat of the trouble is more than skin deep. M. P.— (l) It is doubtful whether she would have any claim at all on him, as she was not deserted. (2) If his first wife is alive, the fact of his not knowing it would not validate his second marriage. (3) The second wife has no claim, as her marriage is not legal. R P —(1) So long as your fence complies with the provisions of the act you have done your duty. If your neighbour's sheep trespass you can sue him for damages. (2) The bank makes no charges on current accounts such as that you speak of. (3) Marriage with a deceased wife's Bister was legalised in this colony in 18S0. M M.— (l) The Hon. Mr Bowen, a member of the Atkinson Government in office at the time of its passing. (2) We cannot say whether he lent any assistance. He was, however, a member of the House at .the time. Anxious.— No, a slaughtering license is necessary. The Sheep Bot. —H. B. F. — Received with thanks; have forwarded to "Entomologist." Subscriber.— The last census returns give the population of Gore as 1619, and of Mofgiel as 13C6,