NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2804, 11 December 1907, Page 51

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Qiustions for rtphrin cominff issu* f» U rtssived not laur than MONDAY nifM. Snro asks:— (l) Kindly inform me of a simpler process for polishing wood than French polishing; (2) the way to do French polish. (1) Beeswaxing is the only other way, but it is inferior to the French polishing; (2) Buy the polish, and apply with a pad. Otaxau Foseoxbb.— Mr W. H. S. Boberts writes:— Te Umx-'.uri is situated on tne •art coast of tmr Middle Island, between Kaikoura and Amuri Bluff. South of Goose Bay is a river named O-aro, sometimes mis-spelt O-waru. At first it is two "branches: the northern- branch is named Te TJmu-kuri (the dog's oven) ; the southern branch is Torotoroiere ; from the junction of the two tributaries' to the sea the river is named O-aro. Before Captain Cooke introduced the more palatable pig, the ' Maoris frequently ate their domestic dogs. I presume they cooked some in an earth oven on the bank of this stream, and enjoyed their feed so much that they named the place Te Umu-kuri in memory of it. Tkoubmed.— -(1) We have not » copy of the report of the Tropical Diseases Commission,, where the information you ask for concerning mosquitos would, probably be found. (2) The female lays her eggs usually N in a pool or ditch of stagnant water. The larvae in favourable circumetancea. are hatched in a few days. When | at *est they suspend themselves head downwards from the surface of the water, and take in air througli a curious tube projecting from the eighth; segment of the abdomen. They remain in the larvae state about three weeks; when mature the pupa comes to the surface, the skin splits longitudinally, and the perfect niosquito •merges. Several generations follow one another in a season. (3) Stagnant water or marshy ground is thought to be necessary for the continued existence of the mosquito. CMHATE.-South Africa is too vague a description to allow of a reply being given on the four points you ask for jnformation aheut. Cape Colony and Natal «c selfgoverning colonies, each having its own system of education. The Transvaal and Orange Biver Colonies have also been granted self-government. Dr Thomas Muir, CvM.G. is Superintendent-general of Education in Cape Colony; Mr J. E. Adamson is Director of Education in the Transvaal > -Hon Thoa. Watt, C.M.G.. Minister of Education in Natal. The climate of Cape Colony varies, as may be imagined when it is remembered that it is nearly 600 mile's in length, and 450 miles in breadtn, with a coastline of nearly 1200 miles. There •re summer rains along the south-eastern coast. Between two mountain range* is an elevated tract known as the C eat Karoo, which during » great portion of the ' year ia » dry and barren desert. To the north the country is still mire elevated, forming part of the great South African table land. In Natal the coast region, extending about lfc miles in length, has a •emi-tropical olimate; maize, fruit, tea, etc., *re grown. The Midland district is more adapted for cereals; the upper district is chiefly grazing land. JjTXZOttS OMt- From Bluff to Nelson, steamer ttme-taWed to leave Bluff every Tueeday. arriving at Wellington on Friday; tranships same day to steamer for Nelson. This route would be the most suitable for a lady travelling from Bluff to Nelson. Fares— Single, saloon £3 lfis; steerage, r<2 2a 6d. From Lyttelton to Nelson: — Steamer lenting Lyttelton every. •Yenyyj

(except Sunday and 13st instT), connects j with boat at Wellington for Nelson. Fare — ' Single, saloon £2; steerage, £1 ss. Subscbibeb, Queensbury. — Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, 91a Princes street, replies:—You will have a tremendous current if you place the Burning at the fall you mention; 32ft per mile is the greatest for that size given in the tables, and that gives a very swift current. However, it would no doubt carry from 12 to 14 heads, and it would carry about 8J heads with half the fall you mention. With, threequarters of the fall— namely, 30ft, it would carry about 10J heads. J. F., Gore.— Ned Kelly and some of hia gang were captured and sent to Melbourne on June 27, 28, 1880. Kelly was hanged on November 11 of the same year, - A Loveb Of Flowsrs.— We submitted your samples of plant leaves to Mr G. M. Thomson, well-known as a botanist and analyti- . cal chemist. His reply is as follows:— | No. 1 is a leaf of a species of Funkia, probably F. cordata. It belongs to the Liliacete, and is cultivated for its leaves, the flowers being small and white. No. 2 is in too dried-up a condition to be recognisable. It belongs to the natural order Boraginese, but whether it is a Borage, or a large species of Forget-me-not, or belongs to some allied genus, I cannot tell. The hairy leaves and the peculiarly coiled up inflorescence show its relationships. No. 3 looks very like ft young plant of Delphinium nudicaule, and I should have called it so from its foliage. - It may be another species-, but it is not far removed from the one your correspondent got it for. It is not always possible to name specimens in their young stages, or in the absence of flowers, especially when they are in bad condition when submitted to me. Abbotsfobd. — No effective remedy is known for the ravages of the borer. Take cut the boards affected, and burn them at once. Be sure you destroy the boards by fire 83 : soon as taken out. Once the borer obtains • a footing in one of the boards it secm9 impossible to dislodge it. A B. The following is a recipe for butter icing— Jib sweet butter, 3 tablespoons brandy (or wine), $lb icing sugar. Cream the butter and sugar, add the brandy, and mix till of the consistency of cream. Camden, Waihao Downs.— H. M. Dayey, con- \ I suiting engineer, replies: — Assuming that i your ground is firm and solid, 4in thicW of good concrete should do for you. Of course, you can have the concrete thicker, and if so you will need more stuff. You will need about six cubic yards of gravel, better (if easy to get) not too coarse, and you would have * better job if you' used, say, about 2yds of sand for the job. Ihe proportions which make nearly a cubic yard of concrete are, for work like yours: One cubic yard (or 27 cubic -feet) of shingle, eight or nine cubic feet of sand, one and a-half barrels (or, say, 4J bagß) of good cement. An easy-sized box would: be 31in long. 31in wide, and 16m hign, which is about nine cubic feet. Turn over twice before mixing in the water, and see that you do not wash a lot of the cement away as 'so many carelessly do. Then mix again, wet, and spread as soon as possible. Try and arrange for absence of much sun till set. Of.courw, the; full qu*nti> of cement would be" nine barrels, or 27 bags if you used the local cement, which might' perhaps .suit you better.