NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2097, 3 May 1894, Page 27

NOTES AND QUERIES.

D. M., Nevis.— Cook and Sons book through passengers from Dunedin to Burracoppin, the terminus of the railway en route to CooLjardie, for £10 15s. Kitty. — Mr Esquilant, American Photographic Gallery, Exchange Coutt,- Princes street. X., Purekireki.— (l) A report of the Conference of Religions at Chicago has been issued, but it is not obtainable in Dunedia so far as we can learn. Probably a bookseller would obtain it for you if you left a deposit with him. (2) Stearine may." be prepared by melting mutton suet, adding an equal quantity of ether, pressing the fat which crystallises from the ethereal solution when cold, and recrystallising repeatedly till the melting point of the fatis constant at b2deg C. Stearine is now largely employed in the manufacture of candles. For this purpose mutton or beef tallow, palm oil, and different kinds of fatty matters are employed. The fatty matter is either heated for some time with strong sulphuric acid, then washed with water, and finally distilled ; or it is subjected to the action of superheated steam, under a considerable pressure, and afterwards distilled. The object of these processes is to decompose the stearine (and other fats, for.example, palmitine, oleine, <fee.) into glycenue and stearic acid, and to separate these products from one another. Stearic acid, which is a solid substance, is the material of which the so-called stearine candles are composed. Nevis Miner.— " Miner," Granity Creek, replies to your query with reference to boats calling at Karamea :— I may state that a boat sails regularly from Weßtporf once a month, named the Nile of Westport, Captain Riley. A train can also be got four times a week as far aa Mokihinui, and there is a good country road from thereto Karamea, a distance of 25 miles. I enclose my address to " Nevis Miner" if he should feel disposed for any further information. Korokeke. — Mr Beverly replies to your query :— The tides are about 35 minutes earlier at Green Island beach than at Port Chalmers. The tide wave flows northward along the east coast and southward along the west coast of this island. At full and change, the time 3of high water are — 9hr at Cape Farewell, 12hr at South West Cape, Stewart Island, 3ur at Moeraki, and 6hr at Cape Campbell. Constant Reader. — Mr Beverly replies : — A 6in Californian pump would probably suit you as well as any. If you can do a little carpentering you could make it yourself, and the cost of material would be trifling. s X. Y. Z. — The Commandant of the forces, Washington. Alex. G. — Your question is not sufficiently definite to permit of a sure answer. If there be a tenancy and no agreement as to its duration it will be determinable by a month's notice in writing. In the case as stated by you W would have to give such notice. Ophih, Subscribes.— The " School Committees Election Act 1891 " defines a householder as including :— " (1) Every adult male or female person who has for the period of three months next before the day of election resided in any dwelling house within the school district as owner or tenant thereof ; (2) the guardian or other person wherever resident who has the actual custody of any child attending a State school within the district ; (3) within a mining district every, holder of a miner's right having for a period of three months next before the day of election resided in the district and not being an alien." You will see from this that under the first clause residence as owner or tenant is required. If father and son are co-owners, or co-tenants, both can vote, but if they are not such, then only whoever is owner or tenant. Ajax.— No. Elector. -The previous consent, verbally given to the chairman, would be sufficient. It does not appear by the section that the consent requires to be given at the meeting. It may be given previous to, but not after the meeting. Breeder. — As the expense of importation is heavy, you probably wish to procure animals of the highest lineage and with some reputation themselves. Shining animals at the National and other leading shows are still costly, but you may procure animals of nearly equal merit, and from famous breeders too, at less than half the price you would have had to pay three or four years ago. Taking the figures realised at recent sales of celebrated herds, or drafts therefrom, as a guide, we would Bay you may procure a very superior young bull and a three-year-old heifer in calf of either of the breeds you name for about 80gs per head. We say a three-year-old heifer in calf because shortly after landing you would have two beasts, freight only paid on one. The ship charge can now be economised by your agent arranging with either an officer of the ship or a passenger by the ship to take charge of the animals. The quarantine here also involves a vexatious expense, so that with purchase money, and after expenses, you may estimate £150 per head as the probable coßt, landed at the homestead. Dairyman.— Respecting the quantity of gfeen chaff to be mixed with straw chaff, it is necessary to point out that the proportionate quantities must vary according to the time 4-he mixture is wanted for consumption. If to be fed to the cattle two days after mixing or not until it has heated slightly, as a slight fermentation greatly improves the nutritious quality of the straw chaff, then half-and-half would be aproper admixture.' The longer the mixture has to be kept the less must be the quantity of green chaff used. Be sure in all cases to salt the mass well. In support of the desirability of fermentation in economising straw as cattle food, it may be mentioned that Dr Voelcker ascertained by analysis that fermented straw chaff is onefourth richer in flesh-forming compounds than ordinary straw ; that fermented wheat straw contains nearly two and a-half times of sugar, gum, and similar compounds, found in common wheat straw; and that while nearly 51 per cent, of the woody fibre in fermented straw chaff, is soluble and digestible, only 26*48 per cent, of the vegetable fibre is so. The fermentation to which straw chaff is subjected when mixed with green chaff and the mass compressed, haß the effect of rendering the hard and dry substance which constitutes the bulk of straw more soluble and nutritious than it is in its natural condition. Cowman. — For feeding cows in milk during the late winter and spring months mangels are incomparably preferable to turnips, but the roots must be clamped up before autumn frosts set in, to avoid serious injury. For ewes after lambing mangels are particularly excellent, as the mothers will give more and better milk than if fed on turnips ; and the same remark applies in the feeding .of milch cows, as we know from a very considerable experience in wintering cattle and sheep. Even in fattening stock it has been long and well known that after mangels have superseded turnips in the food supply the animals accumulate flesh and fat more rapidly than they did before. There is not an animalcow, sheep, or pig— that has become accustomed to the taste of a ripened mangel that does not prefer it to turnip ; but mangels mast be kept in " clamp " for six weeka or two months in order that they may ripen before being given to stock- If fed on earlier they are likely, to occasion scour. An intelligent dairy farmer generally provides or holds over a supply of mangels for the cows calving in spring, as the roots give a flush of milk, and neither milk nor butter is affected as from turnip feed. An objection to mangel-growing is the expense of clamping, but this is far more than covered by the supply of leaves afforded by the crop during the last two months of growth. The leaves must, however, be supplied sparingly to cattle, sheep, and pigs, or scour will ensue. The tillage for mangels must be deep and thorough, and the tilth fine at seeding time. If there is no well-rotted manure available, the more liberal must be the application of artificials. As nitrogenous manures deserving their name are not procurable here, their substitute should be blood manure. A mixture of 2cwt blood manure, lewt superphosphate, 2cwt kainit (to supply potash), and 3cwt salt— the last-named broadcast— will grow an acre of mangels to be proud of. The seed should be.soaked (many growers strongly recommend stale urine for soakage) 12 hours, then taken out

of the liquid and kept damp for 24 hoiirs, when it may be dried to make ready for sowing. This treatment promotes the germination of the seed and ensures an earlier and a healthier braird. The quality of the soil must regulate the width between rows, so the range will be from 25in to 30in, and from plant in the rows lOin to 15in. It is needless to add that the land must be kept clean. Puzzled.— The reason for requiring the annual returns, though the valuation is made triennially, is to enable changes in the ownership of land and the consequent transference of the liability to taxation to be noted by the department. Centre Bush writes with reference to "Hokonui's" assertion that the perpetrator of the Hokonui murder is still in the district, and that evidence might be brought forward which would throw fresh light on the tragedy. He fully bears out "Hokonui's" assertions, and expresses the opinion that there can be no question that the murderer and the perpetrator of the calf outrage are one and the same person. He invites the police to make a searching inquiry into the calf outrage, and expresses surprise that no notice has been taken of it by the press, though the facts have been current talk in the district ever since the occurrence.