NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2685, 30 August 1905, Page 47

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in comiivj isms to be received no: later than MONDAY night. JSew GliuM. — (1) The following is the way to make yeast 'for breacl making: — T&kr 2oa ' of " ' the '\foest _ , .hops, f four quarts oi water, -'lib of' flew, and 31b 'of gcocl „ potatoes. Boil 2oz of the .hops , in "four 1 quarts of water' for half an hour, strain it, and let the liquor cool down to new milk • Wa-rmth ; then put in a handful ox salt and 1 » Alb of brown sugar ; beat up lib- of the best > flour with some of * the liquor, and 'then ; mix -all well together. On the second day • add 3lb of good potatoes, boiled, and then, •■mashed, to -stand till the following day; then strain it and put it into seltzer-water bottles, and it is ready for use. It must be stirred frequently while ifc is making, and kept near the fire. Before using, shake the bottle "well up. It will keep in a cool place for two months, and is best at the latter part of the time. The beauty of this yeast is that it ferments ■spontaneously, not requiring the aid of other yeast; and, if care be taken, it will ferment well in the earthen bowl in which ifc has boon inadeT (2) For sojip made with washing soda: — Seven pounds washing soda, 7lb lime, boiled in five gallons of wateifor half an hour. When cold, pour off the clear water, ox- lye; add 6lb fat and ljlb resin, and boil about four hours. Resident, M«rton. — (1, 2, 3) Rule 75 of the Education Board's Regulations is as follows : '" The beard strongly disapproves of the system of giving 'excessive' home lessons, and) of the practice of keeping children in school after school hours for the purpose of specially preparing them for the inspector's examinations. Pupils should on no account be detained in school during the morning an* afternoon play intervals, nor should those who go home to lunch be kept in during any part of the midday recess." (4) jßule 77 -reads: — "While not prohibiting corporal puaishme7it, the board enjoins teachers to have lecourse to it and with duo ; deliberation. It should hs used only for • moral -ofrenoe3. ' . .' . In^-the case of girls of 12 years of age a.nd over, tn© board disapproves of corporal punishment. Pitpii teachers shall not under any circumstances | ' inflict "-corporal punishment." Simpleton. — (1) Naseby is the highest town in Otago, and probably in New Zealand. It is ' • 1930 ft above sea level. (2) Lhassa, 11,910 ft above the level of the sea, is, no doubt, the highest city in the world. Curiosity. — We have submitted yomr specimens to Professor Park, director of the School of Mines, who kindly replies: — The j sample of mineral sent for examination was crystalline quartz, stained, and in plac&s veined, with oxides of ma-ngane'a^ A test by fire-assay showed that it contained both gold and silver, as -under: — Gold, 4dwt 7gr per ton; silver, 3oz lOclwti 13gr per ton. Constant Readeb. —Mr J. Braithwaite, Princes street, can supply Welclon's "Practical Crinkled Paper Work," two parts, at 9d each; also Mrs L. Walker's "Instructive and Ornamental Paper Work," a practical "book on making flowers and! many other articles for artistic decorations; price, 4s. iTapioca.— i(l) Acceptance by a creditor o f a promissory note in payment of a debt suspends the right of action in the meantime and is a good defence to an action brought "before - tho note becomes dve 1 . (2 and 3). 3Sfo. (4) It do.as not affecb the validity of the promasßoa'y note. £übscbiber, Arrowtown. — Yes, you can pro-_ cura it at A. T. Price's, chemist, corner of Walker and Princes stieets, Dunedin— ss etamps or postal note. Jlobtus. — Macrocarpa is not suitable for a permanent hedge, as it will not stand cutting year after year without being debilitated. Indeed, it is said that -the life of this tree, as a hedge may be roughly put down at 15 years. After some years one dies here and there in the hedge in almost all cases, gust the same as yours are doing. Your best plan is to plant a more suitable hedge inside the macrocarpa, taking out the latter when the other has made good growth, and allow tho new hedge to spread out over the ground bared by tho removal oi the old. bed^e. Holly. i» J

unquestionably the best permanent hedge Pittopporum grows- quicker and makes a. nice light heilgc, and At might suit your purpose. W. W., Wyndham. — Mi H. M. Davey, consulting engineei, Moray place, kindly replies: — You will oniy be able to get about one seventh of a brake horse power with the small fall you appear to have, though if you made a wheel with curved floats you might get a little more. Presumably you have 112 cubic feet, or say rather under twoGovernment heads of water. Is there no way of getting more liead or more water? Of course, though you do not say so, your ■wheel would need to be an undershot one. Anxious. — The person who erected the gate is responsible, but he is not liable for damaged unless the accident wai occasioned by sonier negligence on his part. Tory. — Yes, if his name is actually on the roll. Policy. — (1) No. (2) It may be obtained by writing to th-e Registrar-General, General Registry for Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Edinburgh. A- moaiey ord.«r for 10s should be enclosed in the letter. J. H., Barewood— Mr Davey replies:— Your question was submitted to a gentleman, who is constantly using the tables you refer to, and his reply was that you had batter get Chamber's Mathematical Tables, price 4s 6d, 'and postage added. He sayA you will find full particulars of all you want for practical use detailed and explained in that . book. Probably Mr Braithwaite, - Princes street, has the book. Potato Blight. — (1) Soak the seed in corrosive sublimate solution, 2oz to 20 gallons of soft water, for 30 minutes. (2) Soak the seed in. a Bordeaux mixture of 21b of copper, sulphate (hluestone), 2lb oi Quick-lime, and' 20 gallons of soft water for 30 mimitesT See "Horticultural Notes" for further particulars.—J. G. Largavakb —We should say she is .mixing up Chinese customs with those of Japan. Hat? she- been relying on anything but. menioiy she would undoubtedly have quoted her authority. Mr Cole, Book Arcade, Melbourne, is an authority ou the subject, and would probably be only too pleased to write you fully' on the question. Shall we send your letter to him, or do you prefer to write direct V