NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2817, 11 March 1908, Page 51

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Qnetliont for reply in earning ittxu too* rtetivei not later than MONDAY night. Subscribes wonts to know the Maori name of Oairn Hill. Can any of our ieaderssuppry the iniorma.tion? 3. J., Windsor.— The ship Timairu, Captain Taylor, arrived' at Port Chalmers on her second voyage on October 23, 1876. She *- : ved here on her first< trip on May 6, 1875. J. Waikaka.— We jubmitted your question concerning the heating •, of a vinery -and a tomato house to Mr H. Clarke, who is an expert. He states that before he oould reply b ,your query he must know the size of the building, and whether the vinery and tomato house are to be separate or combined. As the success of your experiment will depend on the appliances lacing made effective, you should communicate with Mr Harry Clarke, gardener, 34 Pine Hill terrace, North-East Valley. The expenditure of a few shillings povt may save you pounds later on. Bt. Claib. writes asking for ft cure for blackheads. The following treatment will move the moat obstinate blackheads:— Wash your face morning and night with pure soap and hot water, into which you have thrown a lump of washing sodia; scrub well with a brush the place where the blackheads are. Be «ure to rinse your face well. If it is painful after the unaccustomed friction apply the following lotion: — Pulverised borax, 2£dr; pure glycerine, Joz; elder flower water, 12oz. W. ML," Hunt's Koad.— The food of the goldfinch should be confined chiefly to hemp and poppy seed, especially the latter. A little green food should! occasionally be ~ given, aa lettuce or cabbage- le*ves, grounded, watercress, etc. The ma-lea may be distinguished by a nanow whit© ring round the beak. When -taken fromi the nest they may he reared on poppy seed and bread ' soaked- in milk *nd water. G-iddinesa and stupor vs» occasionally produced by immoderate use of hemp seed, »nd may bo cured by substitution of soaked lettuce and thistledown. In general . it will be conducive to their health if they be allowed, now and then, to pull the seeds from t » thietlehead. Mr C. Bills has none in stock at present, but # a little later on he ■will have them, when they are sold for a nominal figure. Engineer. — It would be a somewhat risky proceeding for marine engineers and draughtsmen to come to New Zealand without an engagement, as they might be idle for some considerable time. Marine engineers (sea-going) are paid* up to J630 per month. Draughtsmen are paid from £3 to £4 per week. fL 8., CromwelL— On inquiry from the agents we learn that the steamer Devon is due at Wellington on the 15th April, and is expected to reach Dunedin by about April 23. Ambition. — The proposal to establish a veterinary school in connection with the Otago University is at present in abeyance. The "University Council and the Government were prepared to go on with the project, but it became evident that the students were not forthcoming. The proposal is aure to be brought- forward again, but at present no definite information is ava^' able. It is hardly likely that you could follow you* ordinary occupation and attend the lectures. The first year's course ■would be the same as that for medical students. A Lover op Fruit asks how best to store fruit. To do this smccessfully in the case of apples it is necessary to provide' an apartment suitable for tiie purpose. The contributory causes of dsray 9re too much light, dampness, and filth of any kind. 93ie temperature of the storeroom, should b« low and equable, and the decaying fruit should be carefully removed periodically. A. dry atmosphere must be maintained yriihovit artificial heat, and the room must'

ba kept scrupulously clean. In a dirty apartment fungi of various destructive kinds are sure to be in abundance. The fruit room should be kept dark, and ventilated only on iry days Tier upon tier of shelves may be built all round the room, and the sparred floor is preferable to close boarding. Fruit stored should all be in evidence; it will be found unsatisfactory to pile it up three or four deep. Two deep will dispose any decaying fruit on, the first layer. No straw or hay should be used under the fruit: these only harbc-ar the spores of the fungus. Mould spots should be removed when seen; a few spots will be sufficient to inoculate the whole .room. If the same room is^isedi year after year the fr«lla and roof should be washed over with lime water and the floor and shelves scrubbed. No fruit should be stored after this Jill the room ie quite dry. By keeping each variety by itself, and noting the keeping qualities of each, much information may be gained. (2) Stna.T fruits could 1 not be stored unless you have a refrigerating chamber. These should be bottled. Subscribes, Galloway, Tiger Hill.— H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, 91a Princes street, replies: — Commencing at the bottom, you will probably have most or all of the following items:— The suction box or grating, then there is often a foot valve, the suction pipe, the suction intake passage, the casing, the runner with its probable boss and key or keys to secure it to the shaft, then these are, <ihe stuffing box bearings and usually outer bsniings. Then the pulleys, fast keyed on^ and loose with its outer collar. Then there would nrobably be ft belt fork, or belt guide or belt shifter, with slides and handle or lever. Then there will •be the cover, which is bolted on to extract the runner from or .ta examine same as needed. Then there is generally the charging hole, pipe, etc., which is needed when the pump has to draw much. Then there are the uptake or delivery pipes. There is, of course, the madn pump frame, to which usually the pump and the outer bearings a.r« attached. You will, of course, need a belt and motoT — that is, unless you drive direct, when the motor is usually attached to the main eh/aft and th« belts and pulleys are not needed. Htorauijc. — H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, Princes afreet, replies: — You have set out a big scheme in. your letter, and on© that deserves a careful study and deep consideration, but one that, if properly gone into, would be a profitable undertaking if use for the water would be found. To begin with, you say tha.t there is a certain flow at about 200 ft fall. Could not this be used naturally to assist instead of pumping the whole eight heads you speak about? If so, then five heads would be sufficient to pump. That is probably one of the first questions to settle, as the whale of the plant would differ with the change in quantities of water raised. You would require nearly 250 h.p. for lifting the who^ water to the biggest height you name, but is there any need to so lift it? Persona often ask as you do about lifting when it turns out that there is not the slightest need of lifting at all, and it may be so in your case. Is the water wanted for sluicing; then could* not it be pumped direct to the nozzles? If not, why? Xou have sent a- good sketch, which helps matters, but have not indicated the ' direction of the flow. How far would it be from th# narrow part of the channel fco the claim? I understand that the high-level creek is 10 miles away. Probably & 15in multiple centrifugal pump would be about the required size. Seeing iinat the scSeme seems practicable, you might write again and see if it could not be modified as suggested, or in some other way. What height do you really want, or, otherwise, what pressure of water on the nozzle? What I cannot gather is, whet would the PeMon wheel do? I am not acquainted with the plant you name, and you might send any particulars of it th*t you can get; it might perhaps be worth seeing before getting out yours. You are right in one thing— we do not take as much advantage of splendid conditions as we often might.