NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2688, 20 September 1905, Page 51

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming issue to bt received not later than MONDAY nig.'U.

Cla*.— We have submitted your query to Mr ' Duncan . Gilchrist, Waikaka Valley, who kindly replies: — In reply' to your correspondent, I am sorry that I am unable to state whether a ditching plough has been tried in Southland or not. If it had been I am afraid something — expense, weight, or bed ■wort — militated against its adoption, for I have seen a good deal of draining performed here ivith the spade and the mole plough. In the revised edition (published in 1903) of. "Farm Drainage," by H. F. French (Orange Judd Company, New York), the author makes the following remarks on ditching ploughs in the preface: "Ditching machines a-linost without number have been invented and patented, and some of theni have proved successful in soft and homogeneous soils. Huge dredges are successfully •worked by engincars in excavating canals, but no machine which can do the work proposed economically on ordinaiy farms has come to my knowledge, though diligently 6ought." In the body of the book (pp. 24951) Pratt's ditch digger and Paul's ditching machine are described. Of the first-named the author says he has heard that it will rut a ditch 2ift dtep, and that in one instance a ditch 60 rods long, about 2ft deep in hard clay, was cu4 by this machine, worked, by two horses, in five hours. The author trusts that the enterprising invantors •will perfect their implement, so that it will open drains 4ft deep, and thus meet the great want of the public. Of Paul's ditching machine he says : "The whole process is carried on at the rate of about 4ft per minute, and it results on suitable soils in cutting a drain frcm 3ft to aft deep, leaving it in a finished state, with a level bottom lor the tiles te rest upon." British works that I have consulted do not mention ditching ploughs; they speak only of the work performed by means of the spade and the. mule plough. Drains are made in many places here to a depth of 2Jffc only, and the drainage is quite satisfactory where the distance between the drains is not too great. If, then, Pratt's ditch digger does good -work at- a smaller cost than manual labour, it should suit in many places in this country. It. is patented by Pratt a.nd Brcs.' of Canandaigua, U.S.A. 2". H., Hindon. — (1) We cannot see anything •wrong with the sentence. Possibly "Demonstrated the fact," instead of "shown," would ha an improvement. (2) Saddle Hill, 1563 ft; Hindon, 1413 f t; Rock and PfnV, 4755 ft. Tho Lands and Survey Depturtmearl have kindly consented to scale the longitude and' latitude of Hindon, and ws sflia.ll give th© result next week.. (3) The meaning is by, with, or for fear. Bubscsibek, Alexandra. — It is to be drawn on the 21st inst. •Inquibeh, Scott's G-a.p. — (1) Dissolve loz of corrosive sublimate in 12 gallons of cold •water, and mix thoroughly. This liquid anust be prepared and kept in a wooden trough or tub. The potatoes may be placSd in an old basket, and immersed in the liquid for an hour and a-half (neither more nor less), then allowed, to dry before planting On no account should they be put back into the- old sacks. After drying put into fresh baskets or boxes, and cart on to the field;. The preparation is poisonous, and care must he taken that neither liquid nox potatoes is accessible to either animals or children. (2) The Bordeaux mixture for spraying potaitoes should have a little Paris green added to it The ingredients are: — 4lb sulphate of copper, 41b fresh lime, 4oz Paris green, Sib troacle, 45 gallons water. Dissolve the copper in, say, 5 gallons of water in a •wooden vessel, tying it in a loosely-woven bag, and suspending it in the water from a stick laid across the tub. Slack the lime in another vessel, and add it to the copper solution. Stir well till thoroughly mixed, then add the balance of the water. S-fcraiu

The excellent group of the characters in 'the coming production of "My Sweetheart," which appears on page 45, is reproduced from photos by Mr .W» N. 'BLiikie A Princes street;

out any dirt, and stir in the tre?cle. Mix the Paris gieen to the consistency of thin paste, and add it to the mixture, stirring well. Apply with a spray pump with a cyclone nozzle when the potatoes are between 6in and 9in high, and twice later at intervals of about 10 days. Repeat if necessary. You should obtain Ltf.flot No. '25 from the nearest stock inspector. Constant Reader, Masterton. — We have submitted youi letter to Messrs A. and T. Burt, who kmdly reply: — All the twine plants in use in the colony have been imported, so far as we know. If your correspondent were to give us the tons of binder twme he wishes to turn out per day we would bo pleased to get him the full particulars and cost of plant from America and England. AVaiwera.— The purchaser or \he propeity is liable by virtme of section 17 of "Ths Fencing Act, 1395," which runs thus: — "If any. person Becomes the occupier of tuiy land se-oarated from any contiguous land by a fence made by the occupier of such contiguous land, "such psrsoa is subject to the same .labilities m reopect of such fence as his predecessor was sttbject to when he reliquished occupation. ' J. S.— A scrupulous search of the repoits of .Land Board meetings has been made, but no record of your having been granted exemption from residence can be found. 3 B. — (1) If the widow is registeied as proprietress of the k.nd by. viitua of a Iransmission under letters of administration, she has no occasion to trouble about a transfer.

If the intestate left a widow and children, then the children are -entitled to two-thirds of the property, and the administrator (or administratrix, as the case may be) should apportion the property accordingly. Neglect on the part of the widow to have the title deeds in her own name will not invalidate any will she may make. SuBSCRi3-3rt. — You may apply to the warden for an ordinary prospecting license. The land must be marked out in the prescribed manner, the owner or occupier of the land must be notified, and there is a fee of Is per acre payable. Full compensation for all damage is payable to the owner and occupier. The holder of a prospecting license has the right in priority to any other person of obtaining a license- for any mining privilege in respect of the land to which his prospecting license relates. Tapanui. — Accused stand their trial at the criminal sessions of the Supreme Court, commencing on November 20. Inquirer, Mataura. — The man who employed your friend is liable to pay compensation. If the employer was a sub-contractor, then both the employer and the employer's principal are liable. The iniured man should at once instruct a solicitor to act on his behalf. Subscriber, Invercargill. — A person labouring under specific delusions, but in other respects sane, is not entitled (according to the criminal law of New Zealand) to bs acquitted on the ground of insanity, unless the delusions caused him to believe in the existence of some state of things which, if it existed, -would justify, his act. Even

if a man suffered from the delusion that his wife was unfaithful to him, that would not justify his killing her. The remedy for a wife's infidelity is divorce — not murder. A. J. J.— ln answer to your inquiry we learn from the office of t\he Alexandra Lead and Dunstan Lead Companies, whose dredges are ain.ong-st the largest on the Molyneux River, that the work of washing the mats, cleaning down, weighing the gold, etc., invariably takes two hours On both of the?e diredges the wash-up takes place on the Friday morning Foety Years a Subscriber.— Peacocks trespassing on fenced land in artificial grass or under cultivation may be destroyed by authority of Section 14 of "The Impounding Act, 1884." Notice in writing, containing a description of the peafowl destroyed and of the place where they were destroyed, must bs sent to the owner within 24 hours of the destruction. * PiPiNG.--It seams to us utterly incredible that it can make any difference, especially as it is probable the canal will require to be operated on the lock system. INQUIRER.— The Training College "Entrance Exam." is abolished. Particulars as to conditions of entrance to the college may be obtained from the secretaiy of the Educa^ tion Boaid. Mifkie —(It I%a abivtilons are sometimes called Californian bells, but we are not aware of any special popular name being applied to Abutilon Infanta Eulalia. (2) Ivoiy

that has bocorne yellow by exposure oan bo whitened by washing in a solution ocnir pwEied of loz nitric acid and lOoz soft water 1 . Apply with a rough brush, a.nd cleanse thoroughly in clean water. Another method is to rub the ivory with fine pumice and water, and while damp expos© it to the sun's rays under a glass vested. T. H., Hindon. — The meaning is by, with, of for fear. A rgument. — The present Dteaai of Gloucester, H. p. M. Spence-Jones, D.D., wa.s ai:>pointed 1886, in succession to Henry Montague Butler, D.D., previously Head Master of Harrow, and 1 now Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. Searchlight. — The fares from Dunedin are — first, single,, £2 15s : return, £4 15s ; second 1 , single, £1 15s. return, £3. No reduction is xonde at Christmas' time in steamer faiee as a rule. J. C. — The average time for skinning and dressing a bullock is half an hour, two bullocks an hour being reckoned a fair rate per day for an ordinary slaughterman. Of course the woik has been done on occasion much more quickly, especially in America, where some amazing records have been put up. T. P., Hindon.— Saddle Hill, 1563 ft; Hindon, Ul3ft; Rock and Pillar, 4755 ft. The Lands and Survey Department have kindly consented to scale the longitude and latitude of Hindon, and we shall give the result next week. Lover of Birds. — Birdlime may be irnade from the inner bairk of the holly, and also from linseed oil. Put half » pin<t @? linked cil

into ai. old pot, in which it will not be more ■than one-thiH full. Put it on a, s.ow fire, stirring it occasionally uatil it thickens as much as required which will be known by cooling the stick in water amd testing it with the fingers. It is best rather hard. When it is ot the proper consistency pour it into cold water. It can be brought back to the consistence required by mixing in a little coal tar. ' Pukatea.—A Blenheim correspondent writes: In answer to "Colonial Boy's" question, "Where 13 Pukatea'" it i-5 a hard, red wood, which grows in different parts of Marlborough, chiefly in the sound's. I Young Kelson. — No, Cargill road, from the Gaswoiks to Foibury road, runs from northeast to south-west.