NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Volume 23, Issue 2684, 23 August 1905, Page 47

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply incoming istut to be revived tut lattr thmn MONDAY ni§ht.

Mt 'J. T. Noble Anderson,- engineer to tho Dunedin Drainage Board, sends us the following interesting note : — I have been asked ,for an explanation of the following interesting phenomenon reported from Southland—namely, that' during the last two ox three, winters largei quantities of granulated iee ' has been found ' floating on the rivers, and these .have had the" effect of blocking the waterway of the water races to water ■wheels to such' an _extent that the water power has been occasionally stopped. ! XJ-"1' i s<? more information is available, it is ' evident that a complete and satisfactory explanation is out of the question; at the same time the following seams the most likely cause. Whan the quantity^ of watel flowing in a river continues undiminished during hard frosts, if the surface of the river become frozen over then the friction between^' the water flowing- below the ice and the doe cover retards the flow, with the result that the water Backs' up and eventually finds its way over the top of the ice, and tJiere-.fre'ezes to form' what skaters know as "a rotten crust ' If the quantity of water still continues undiminished, it is obviou3 that it will be all the time flowing over and through this "rotten crust," and will carry quantities of the^gr<anular ioe from it down to the lower, unfrozen part of the river. If, as it is stated, this phenomenon has only manifested itself recently, the probable explanation is that in the past frosty weather in the .lower lands was generally preceded and accompanied by sufficient frosts in the mountainous catchment to check the springs and cause a continually diminishing \Q.ow with each increase in the freezing, and consequently no fresh quantities of- water- used to come down to make this "rotten crust," while now, owing to the clearing of timber 'and settlement in, the lower reaches, it is likely that the frosts are as early, and practically as severe, in the low lands as they are on the higher levels of the catchment, and consequently the ice forms lower down before any appreciable diminution of flow due to the freezing up of the springs has occurred. This seems the most probable explanation, but with such'- a variable element as the .-weather to take into consideration, there may He -mo other explanation than the mere weather .caprice giving colder weather in the low lands than on the higher levels, and this quite irrespective of any change, such as the clearing of forests or better draining of lands in the low land. Poneke.— (l) The approximate number of 'sheep in each provincial distriot of the colony for 1905 is :— Auckland, 619,390; Na-pier, 4,601,429; Wellington - West Coast, 4,172,849 ; Marlborough-Nelson, 947,273 ; Canterbury-Kaikoura, 5,240,144 ; Otago, 3,540,839;— t0ta1, 19,121,924. (2) Cows f or heifers calved, kept for dairy purposes — • North Island, 330,473 ; South Island, 137,652. Cows or heifers calved, kept solely for breeding— North Island, 122,930; South Island, 17,438. In addition to this there were in 1903, the year for which these figures are given", 47,054 heifers over two years, intended for dairying in the colony, and 36,228 intended for breeding only. (3) Yes. Write to the Registrar of the Supreme Court, Wellington. It will cost you 2s for-the_search, and 4d a folio of 70 words for the copying out of the win.

Imogen.— (l) On' December 31, 1881, there were •631 persons undergoing sentence in the New Zealand gaols, the percentage being 1.28 per thousand. At the end of 1904, there were 750 prisoners, the percentage being 0.0832. (2) We- cannot give ' till© figures for New South Wales. Poolbubn Farmer.— (l) Wire netting for rabbit fencing and both plain and barbed wire are free of duty. (2) M'Lean Bros, and JRigg, Arthur Briscoe and Co. (3) The freight on wire and wire netting from Sydney or Melbourne to Dunedin is 15s per ton, in addition to which the following delivery

charges have to be paid : — On wire — Dues 4s, wharfage Is, c-artage Is 6d; on netting — Dues ss, wharfage Is, and cartage Is 3d per ton. In the Sydney Morning Herald oi August 12 No. 10 German black wire ia quoted at £7 355; No. 8 and No. 10 American wiro at £7 15s bo £8; and barbed wire— 12 gauge at £13 10s, 14 gauge at £14 15s to £15. The Melbourne Argus of same date reports as fallows on the metal market: — "Fencing wire: Black No. 8 is quoted at £8 ss, with the usual concession, of 2s 6d for truck-loads; and No. 10 at £8 15s. Galvanised is quoted at £10 for No. 8, and £10 10s for No. 10. Barbed wire is quoted at £13 10s for 12 G., and £15 for 14 G. Wire netting remains firm on spot, distributing quotations being £38 to £38 10s for 42in x ljin x 17 G., £30 for 42in x l§in x 17 G., £25 for 42in x lfin x 17 G., £25 for.36in x l£in x 17 G., £23 for 36in x 1-gin x 17 G. (some houses looking for an advance), and £16 10s for 36in x l|in xIBG- " Duneddn prices, as quoted in the Otago Daily Tims-a report of Saturday -last, compare as follow : — Barbed wire, £13 10s to £14; fencing wire — ordinary brands, No. 8, £8 10s to £8 15s 1 , , according to quantity ; special brands, £9 ss ; j galvanised wire, £10 to £10 ss, 6 to> 8 gauge. There is a 10 per cent, duty on barbed wiro in the Commonwealth, which must b& considered in making comparisons. Monthly Nurse. — Send in your Application for registration to the Inspector-general of Hospitals, Wellington, who is the- registrar

under the act. The application must be made before January 1, 1906. J. R.— For the lime, sulphur, and salt dress*ing for fruit trees take 251b quicklime, 201b sulphur, 201b salt, and 50 gallons water. To mix: Take 10lb lime, 20lb sulphur, and 10 gallons water; boil (on no account using a copper boiler) till the sulphur is quite dissolved, then slack the remaining 15lb lime, add the other half of the salt, and put with the previous mixture, making up the quantity of water to 50 gallons. Strain, and apply to the trees whilst milk warm, and keep it continually agitated while spraying. It is advisable 1 to protect your hands and' face while spraying. Purekireki. — (1) It is impossible to say any opinion can c-nly be relative, there being no means of judging with certainty. (2) Sea Kennel Column. Passenger, Akbar.— (l) Mr T. W. Kirk, of the Agricultural Department, Wellington, would be able to supply you with the necessary information. (2) Yes, the Early Settlers' Association has all such information on record. Address: "Mr L. Langlands, secretary, Water street, Dunedin." Potato Grower. — It depends to a great extent in the nature of the soil. It would, however, be of the greatest benefit in peaty or bush land, and in kindred soils. We are referring the question to "Agricola," who will reply to it at length, in "Notes on Rural Topics," in due course.

Subscriber, Waipori. — The best preparation you can get for the purpose is Aspinal's enanrel paint. It is to be got in black as well as white. G. B. asks if any reader can give him a recipe for making milk bread; aLso how to make raisin wine-j-if it can be made from the raisins of commerce. A Mother. — (1) rlher lhe girl's wages can only be reduced by her own consent. (2) There is no minimum -wage. (3) Any minor may sue in the Magistrate's Court for wages as if of full age. (4) It is decidedly illegal for the mistress to pay the girl's wage® in clothing ; as «> matter oi fact, the mistress renders herself liable to a penalty of £10 under "The Track Act, 1891." (5) The girl is entitled to recover from her mistress the whole jf the wages not actually paid to her in money. Constant Reader. — No; the gift is not -an illegal oils-. Lex. — The lessee is entitled to the custody/ of tha instrument of lease, and the lessor to the counterpart. A Victim. — You can bring an action against the auctioneer, dlaiming damages on the ground of misrepresentation A Subscriber. — There are fully 12 different kinds of this affliction, but yours is evidently tha more common one. A surgeon, only would be in a position to advise, after examination. Yours is not of long standing, and is offceai reduced by opei-ation. In the meantime wear a truss and avoid strain-

ing or lifting heavy "-weights, if possiblt Take mild aperients only, in the way oi medicines. A. M.— lt is no doubt a Kack pear!, bufi probably of little value. Any jc-weller in either Invercargill or Dunedin would te>il you what it is worth. ' Subscriber.— £3o,ooo, not 30,000 bags. Young Reader.— (l) Mr Alex. Montgomery, Arcade. Timaru. (2) If you are not a, born native of New Zealand, you must be British, born and resident in the colony three years'. The height is sft 4in. You had better write to Captain i\ C. C. Tudor, K.N., H.M.S. Challenger, Wellington, and ho will cause all necessary information to he sent you. Subscriber. — (1) The man was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment on December 19, 1897, but was released alter serving four years and 11 months. (2) Sii Harry Atkinson was Premier of New Zealand from/ October 8, 1887, to January 24, 1891. •Southlaz.d Farmer.— Will be replied to by

"Agricola" next weak. Inquires, St. Bathans.— The Perth branch, of the Royal Mint was opened on June 20,. 1899. The amount of gold received for coin- - age up to 1902 was 2,877,2640z, the value being £10,228,251. The total value of the coin and bullion issued up to the end of. 1902 was £10,222,469. We have no means of - ascertaining what profit has accrued from the working of the mint. A. H. I/., Waitati.— The athletic meeting you* refer to was decided at Stamford Bridge Grounds, London, on July 1. T. R. Nicholson won the 161b hammer throw w:th 155ffi lOJin, D. Horgan being second with 132fft „ The positions were reversed in putting the ■ 16lb weight, D. Horgan winning with 45ft s|in, T. R. Nicholson being second with 40ft 9Jin. The other events you mention are not championship events, and were therefore not decided at the meeting; also; A. A. Cameron, being a professional, cou]d not compete at an amateur championship . meeting.