NOTES AMD QUERIES.
Questions for reply in coming isjut to ot received, not later than Monday night. Ornithological -"M.A." writes :— The toi-tois grass (Arundo conspieua) flourishes in the suburbs along the harbour, its growth being rapid and its plumes luxuriant. 16 is an interesting and pretty sight to watch the birds — mostly sparrows — j eiched near the top of the culms or, stalks feeding on the seed?, of which they appear inordinately fond, and at fch>i s*me time enjoying to the full the pleasures of a Bwing as the graceful plant sw*ys up and down under the weight of its feathered attachment. Anyone who lives near the bush with & love for birds can induce them to congregate in , his garden by planting the berry and nectar-bear-ing bushes on wheh they principally subsist. ,The following ara particularly efficacious and attractive, especially for such birds as waxeyes, mokw, tuis, Ac — viz , the _bulli%buUi or New Zi'ultnd potato tree, the fruit of which, by the w.iy-a large plobalar orange jelltiw berry, — makes an excellent preserve, ami, moreover, its rich blue flower forms a beautiful object in early summer: tuch«ia3, one of our few 'deciduous tree« in Otago, -on tvhich nearly all $he native i birds feed; the well-kuown New Zealand flnXj containing a Urjja proportion of nectar ia ita ■flower, wnich it readily yieMs to its feathered friends in return for their assistance in fertilising—a process effected by means of pollen carried from one flower to another on the bird's head, it being an ascertained fact ttut fully onefourth ot the plants in this colony are fertilised by either birds or insects, since they nre wholly incapable of p rforming tail? function themselves. The same remarks apply also to the cabbage tree, producing, as it does, aa abundant su.ply of honey, whicn is highly appreciated. Many others might lie enumerated jdid space permit, but the intelligence of your readers will Teadily fill the gap. n Subscriber — The packet kodac is obtainable at Keurpthorne-Proscei's, Stafford street, at the price advertised. W. W. —We have sent your query to " Agricola," who will reply to it ia "Notes on Rural Topic*." X, Maniototo, asks :— Will any reader kindly explain through your Notes aid Queiies column the method by which the poisonous gas from charcoal is produced for blowing into rabbits' burrows. I do not ref«r to the gas pi-o3nced from liquid sulphide of carbon. There is, I understand', a less expensive method by means' of a charcoal fire. The fullest information on the subject will oblige greatly. Will any reader whohaß bad experience with this method of dealing with rabbit* oblige with a rejily to X. Rabbits or Hats ?- G V., Rongahere, writes :— The question Are the rabbits acquiring provident, babits, laying up a stock of fotatoea for wintrr? n>ay be answered No, bo f«ir as my observation goes during the past 14 years. As ■soon as potatoes get lipp, ov nearly so, bunny begins operations in earnest, returning night after nig^ht to tbe same root. I have man» tim-sput down five or six small potatoes, ard found that to be a good bait for trapping. It is more than likely tbe Cromwell rats deserve the credit of taking the potatoes into Ihe burrows Tli.°y are a wh<; lot Down this way, I have dug out potatres, pea-pods, and small turnips, niwly tailed and tupped, perfectly round, and nearly as large as goose eggs, in large quantities By what method ttie fits rarried the turnips is a nuzzle, as .they were quite free from tooth marls. Your occasional correspondent "Colouu3 "one*, stated in a vote that the rabbits wonld not touch broad be*ns. Lat anyone tiy them with a sheaf when they become fairly hard. My experience has been tbat where vabbits aiv anyway numerous a beau stalk makei a fine bait for trapping when the beans get hard. N. T. P. writes:— l send you herewith two or three stalks of grass. Please let me know what kind of srassit is, its use, <fee. It is quite a new kind to us. It grows up, and its branches fall down and take root every 2iu or 3in, just after the manner of a strawberry plant. Tbe grass is fltehinoposon ovata, of P*liojt. It is also figured by Mr J.-Buchanan.'F.L.S., London, in his "Manual of the Indigenous Grasses of New Zealand," pub.i bed by the Government in Wellington in 18S0, and by Dr Hooker in the "Handbook of New Zealand Flora, 1561." It is said to be abundant throughout both the Northern and Middle Islands. It is a harsh, scabrous grass It is described by Buchanan as a grass widely distributed throughout the Maud?, but never found abundant anywheie. Ifc is eaten by sheep and cattle, but ia of little value from its h*r«B, non-6ucculent foliage and strAggliDg habit. It is commonly found on dry banks and other -waste places. It can only be r«coinmended as an early grass, and would probably not repay cultivation. Subscriber.— lt would not be worth while sowing I grass seed for one year to get rid of weedn, as you would probably find it almost at bad to get rid of the grass and remaining weeds as the weeds alone. Besides, you would nut gat rid of the seeds in one year, and as soon as the ground was turned over a f .eah crop would come up. Much better to put in a crop of potatoes or some vegetable which needs cultivation, thus eußuriag
the killing of the weeds as they come up. Your que-ticn is too indefinite for us to give any further advice. J. T., Woodlauds.-O) The Knikorai Club have keen the football premiers in Dunedin for the pist three seasons. (2) RestiOaux never played for the Kaik'itai. Constant Reader --<!) No a-sisted passages are granted to emigrants from the United King iom to New Zealand now. (2) W. P. Beeves, Esq., Westminster Chamber*, 13 Victoria street, S.W., London. Inqutrer.—(l) In school districts situated within a proclaimed mining -district, " every holder of a miner's right having for the period_of three months next before the election resided in the district,-and not being «n alien, is qualified to vote at the election of a s:hool committee." These are the words of " The School Committee- Election Act. 1891." It is possible that this was not intended to apply to infants, but the intention of the Legislature oan only bo understood from what it says —not from what it does not say,-and it mu3t be held that infants are not excluded." (2) A person who is neithar a parent nor a guardian, nor has ths actual cua--' tody of a child, nor is the owner or tenant of a dwelling house, nor the holder or a miner's right, but merely a lodger, has no right to vote. Subscriber —You can compal the taunt of tho reserve to pay interest on half the cost of a dividing fence, and also to pay half the cost of rejiaiw. "* A Miner.—The bed of the Kikanui River is Crown lands, and can be mined upon for g^lcl without permission fiom the proprietirs of »djoiuing lands ; but such ownere have riparian rights which woald prevent interference with the water of the river. H. II H. —Your question is replied to in the Angling Co'umn. ■ . Artificial Stone.—The paragraph appeared'in our Scientific Column a short time ago. It did not, however, describe the process in sufficient detail to enable anyone to experiment in the taanuf mture of artificial marble. T G. —Lord Roberts w*b born in India. His father was a native of Wateiford. T. M.—By the expression "freezing point" it is meant that degree of Fahrenheit's thcTiuometei? wh-'ch indicates the temperature of frozen water—viz , 32deg above Ziro. If any other liquid is meant the name is added. Ia Centigufte and Reamur's instruments zero marks the freezing point. X. Y. Z.—(l) John Sims Reeves Mas born at Shooter's Hill, Kent, on October 21, 1822. (2) He first appeared in public as a biuitone at Newcaf-tle )n 1839. His debut was a complete success, and he acquired fre^h fame, but as a teuor, in London. Tho paiticulars you wanted verified must relate to someone else.
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Bibliographic details
Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 38
Word Count
1,365NOTES AMD QUERIES. Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 38
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