NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2251, 22 April 1897, Page 38

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for replu in coming issue to be received not later than Monday night.

R. N.— lt is a very general belief that the moon affects the weather, but according to meteorological authorities the idea is erroneous. The following extract on this subject is from a letter from the London meteorological office :—": — " No one in his senses can believe in the moon's influence on the weather ; the fact that storms move over the surface of thf» earth is sufficient to show that if the change of weather suits the moon in Ireland it must fail to suit it in England." The "changes," of the moon are, in fact, a delusion. The moon is alw.ys changing (in a

sense), not simply once in seven days, as the

almauacs put it. T. X., Pomahalca. — A man is not eligible for a school committee who is not a householder. If

the property belongs to tli3 wife she alone is qualified and eligible. Inquirer. — It is an offence to lay poison adjoining any public place, and there are other eft'ec-

tive means of dealing with trespassing birds and

fowls. A. H — Poeouy roots if lifted in their dormint sea-

son wid carry from England to New Zealand

and grow if kept dry on the voyage. Swallow Pudding, Otautau. — An adder is a

viper, but a viper is not necessarily an adder, as the genus Vipera includes besides the common vipar or adder the asp (V. aspis), the African horned viper (V. cerastes), the puff adder (clotho or echidna arietans). the Indian Dabaia, or Rußsell's viper, and the Indian echis carinata. The conjmon viper or adder is the only poisonous snake indigenous to Britain. W. A., Cheltenham.— New Zealand's record for big nuggets is a somewhat pior oup. Ws believe the largest nugget found in the colony was one of 590z lfidwfc, found at Baker's Terrace. Moonlight, in 1889, by Robert Mitchell and William Russell./ A 270z nugget was found at Waipori in 1863.*rji £ ourtei Scenery. — We do not know of any work published on the subject, but there may have been something published locally. Write to the chief surveyor, at Auckland, who .is the most likely official to have the information you require. Athlete, Oamaru.— The report gives the name

as R. Kitchen. A. 8., Athol —(1) We have never heard of blues'.one and lime being used to check the woolly aphis, and it certainly would not be a permanent cure. If your trees have been worked on blight-proof stocks you will not require to deal with the foots. If they have not, the best thing you can do is to replace them with young trees on blight proof stock. Thp best remedy is a strong keroseue emulsion with the addition of a very small quantity of carbolic acid. The method of making the emulsion is : Kerosene,

2gal ; soap, ljlb ; water, Igal. Dissolve the soap In the water and churn it with the kerosene for .five 'or ten minutes. (2) The fact of its making so much wood shows that root-pruning is necessary. Prune half way round the tree this year and the other half nexiryear. (3) Be-

tween 2ft and 3ft. Option.— The voting for Dunedin City was :— Continuance, 7790 ; reduction, 5284 ; no license, 4466. For Caversham :— Continuance, 2735 ;

reduction, 1541 ; no license, 12C4. Trilby.— A buuion is hard to cure. Try the following ;— Bathe the affeoted n»rt in hot

water, to which a teaspoonfnl of salfc, a tablespoonful of btarch, and a few droiis of arnica have been added ; wipe dry with a soft linen towel, ami apply iodine with a camel's hair brush. Wear a loose shoe out of doors, and while in the house a shoe which has the leather covering the buuion entirely cut away. Bunions are caused by undue pressure. R. R R — The representative Scottish peers are elected for t-very fresh Parliament : those for Ireland are elected for life. All Irish peers not peers of Parliament are eligible for seats in the House of Commons, and may represent any borough, county, or university in England or Scotland, but not in Ireland. Peers of Scotland cannot Lie elected as members of Parliament in any of the thrse countrks. X. O.— Lord Sali- bury is at pre-ent Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports. Till the time of Henry VII *he p >rts had to furnUh the Crown with nearly all the ships and men rt quired by the State, aud though their importance diminished as the year swore on the conservatism of the times made thum continue to contribute largely to the supp'irt nf the permanent fleet, which grew out of the 57 original ship<. They had, of courae, privileges in return, and one of these they ht ill exercise— the right of assembling in the "Portmotj" or Parliament at Shepway or South <,'ross, near llytlie, for the purpose of making bye-laws for themselves to hear appeals from the local courts, and decide cases of treason, illegal coining, etc. The wardens are by law allowed t> have a table in Westminster Hall on the right of the King's at his coronation and whenever they aie mvited to dine with him. Once, on the coronation of Gearge 111, they refused to be present, because their right to this time-honoured place was not allowed.