NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2883, 23 June 1909, Page 59

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply «n cominj issue to be reSeived not later thaii HONDA'S: night.

ExQUiHEa writes: — "What is ihe difference betw-oan the time at Dunedin and Vancouver, 8.C.? Thru is, what '.ime will it be at Vancouver when it i">. say, 12 o'clock noon on «. given day in Dunedin?'' — N.Z. is 19J hours ahead of Vancouver. For instanco, when it is noon on, say, Monday

quarter past 4 oil

in Duneciin, it is a

Sunday afternoon in Vancouver. Reader of the Paper, Invercargill. — Your pear tree requires spraying with the Bordeaux mixture. The scab is a fungus

which evidently has got into the tree, but * by.- constant attention you, ought to bs abie to grow fruit. You may not notice any difference the first season, but if you continue the sprajing you will get rid of

.Vc give the formula for the Bordeaux -lio. .urc- — Winter formula : ■> Proportions — 10il i>i sulphate of copper, 101b fresh loche lime, and 40 gallons water. Preparation : Dissolve the 50lb sulphate of copper in 20 gallons water, slake the 10lb lime slowly, and make up to 20 gallons; strain this milk of lime into the solution of sulphate of copper, stirring briskly. This should bs used within eight hours of mixing, otherwise its value as a fungicide is depreciated. Summer formula : Proportions — 4lb sulphate of copper, % 41t> fresh lorhe lime, 40 gallons water. Preparation — Dissolve the 4lb sulphate copper in 20 gallons water, slake- the 4ib of lime slowly, and make up to 20 gallons. Strain this milk of lime into the solution of sulphate of copper, stirring -briskly. Sulphate o* copper may be dissolved by tying in a piece of sacking v and expending overnight just below the surface of the water.

using- "hot water

Vessels of wood

or earthenware should be used. Exquiher. West Plains —The Carhsburn.

1557 ton=, Cnplam M. Young-, wi*h some 400 immigrant*!, arrived at Port Chalmers on July 15. 1874. 3l*rious v rites ■ — Some years zgo I saw a statement in the papers that it was doubtful whether the kauri ever grew in the South I=land. Can you inform me 'whether the roLit has ever been settled? — If our

correspondent means forests of kauri in

the South Island, we believe none such ever existed. The kauri will grov in the South Island. Th^re is a fine kauri tree

in the Botanic G-rdens, Dunedin, which M-- Tannock =~.vs > growing at the rate of from 35in .to 18* x each year. Uowstant Reader, — The .Standard

Oil Co. ha= no agent in Invercargill. Honsvtant Eeader. Waihoaka. aske for a recipe for pickling- bacon, and how to make the pickles, etc. — The brine i 3 prepared ps follows, the- quantities .being for o-:e rip- lib b?g salt. Blb of pure common salt dissolved in as much boiling water as will completely cover the bacon, over which it is to be poured when cold. The strength of the pickle is easily gauged. If it floats an egg or a potato it is right ; if not. add more salt. Success in bacon curing on the farm depends a- great "(Teal on lho manner in which tBo carcase has been treated after killing. Immediately the enrcare has been dressed, disembowelled, and hung up. it should ba clewed down. With the sidas thus separated,-- iiearly tho whole of the objectionable' malter permeating the spinal and upper sicjb bones is flowed to exude, and may be -^iped off. i^he portions to be converted ii^o bacou *f*-n covered 1 with the pickle. Afiiig^w'o or ">ree days' immersion it will beCV-uxged '.' the bloody sejum^ jad .this Kill Toat ,pn v*» surface, add elfofeia Y^^im^ fifi.

Ther " green bacon " should be taken out, plac-ed on boards, and allowed to drain thoroughly. The pickle should be boiled andi skimmed, and any fresh quantity required should have a proportion of 2oz of '-.saltpetre added to every 4lb of salt usetl. -Saltpetre dry in a very small qiian_ti_y- should be inserted at the joints only. ' i', is purely an astringent, and while im- | parting colour, for which purpose it is | chiefly used, it dries and hardens the | nicat. 'After a fortnight in the second pickle — a- less time if smoking is to follow — the bacon should be hung up after having been well rubbed with clean coarse cloths till perfectly dry. The process of dry-salting is generally considered preferable to pickling, as the bacon is not so flabby. A. H. wants to know how carriage axle grease is made. We presume the article sold as axle grease 13 more or le3s of a trad-3 secret. For carriage axles, which arc m=.de to fit with great nicety, oil. either animal or vegeta-bie, of the purest kind, and free from mucilage ot jelly, should be. applied. J. P. L. — Your first query was referred to Mr H. M. Davey, \\h& replies elsewhere (2) To harden taJlow candles, use lib of alum to every 6lb of tallow. Dissolve tiia alum in watei, then put it into the tallow, and stir well -till both are melted together ; then pour into mould. Candles treated in this way will be nearly as white as wax. (3) If tne ground wire i? faulty you will not hear on. either telephone, •us it breaks the circuit. The trouble is not, therefore, in the ground wire, but in the telephone itself, or the battery from the speaking telephone. I', might i bs in the transmit er of ihe sending 'phorxj or receiving telephone. In all probability the trouble is due to a broken zinc, lead porcus pot, cr corroded terminal of sanding (speaking) 'phone. D. T. — In all probability your child is suffering from worms. The question has been forv.'C-.rded lo '' Hygjeia, ' wh*> may l-ater on reply in the "' Our Babies ' Column. D. L. — The existence of tape worms is usually denoted by the following chain of sjrnptoms: — Loss of appetite, restlessness, heaaache, pains in the stomach, foetid ' breath, disturbed sleep, grinding of the teeth, itching and irritation in. different parts of the body. The body becomes emu-eiated anil the- abdomen large an-cl tumid, and the tongue is often of a brigiit red or covered with a slimy mucus, the surface is either chilly or teverishly hot, the coui:tc-n«nce is frequently pale, with a contracted expression en the features, ihe c3 r es especially having a sunken and peculiar character about them. At the eanio tim^, there is usually a short, dry cough, with either a ravenous desirefor icod, or a total apathy as to eating. Tape worms may be contracted from a dog in drinking water, cr from the hands after touching an infected dog, and in many other ways. Motorist. — (1) The Araw* left Wellington for London on May 20, 1909. (2) It is impossible to state definitely the freight on a motor bicycle from, Coventry to Dunedin, as the" rate would depend upon the bpaje the caee in which it was pa-eked would take up. The approximate cost p-cr ton is £2 10s if paid in London, and JE3 if paid in New Zealand. It would depend on cii'CUinstances whether the charge would be by weight or measurement. The duty would bs about £5 16s. You would in addition have to arrange about passing the entry, pay landing charges, etc. (3) The engine is usually packed by itself, and no duty is charged on it unless there nr& some electrical appliances. (4) A cpblegraru from Dunedin to London would cost 3s per word A Gore Citizen. — Your letter is written on ! both sides of the paper, and cannot bo accap'ed. Write more concisely. It should not require four c'osely-wxitien psges to point out the demerits of the Gore- Town H»l!. Hamfden. — "Agricsb, " writes: — Many thanks for your appreciative letter of the. 16th inst. An error unfortunately crept into the reply, which is corrected in this week's notes. Wet Boots. — A friend writes : What an amount of discomfort wet boots entail, to be sure; and how well we all recall the fretful efforts we have now and then mads to di«w on a pair of hard-baked ones which were put by the fire over night to dry. Damp 2nd adhesive within, they are without stiff and unyielding as iron. Onceon. they are a soit of modern stccks, destructive of all comfort, and entirely demoralising to the temper. The following simple device will rob the cold wet of a. plushy winter or spring evening of half its promise of difcomfort for the next morning: When the boots are taken off fill them quite full with dry oats. Tln9 grain has a great fondness for damp, and will rapidly absorb the last vestige of it from the wet leather. A3 it takes up the moisture it swell? and fills the hoot with a tightly fitting last, keeping its form good, snd di\ing tlia leather without hardening it In the morning shako out the oats and bans; them in a bsg near tba fire to dry. ready for the next wet night. draw on the boots, and go happily about the day's woik N. F.. Oamaru. — Mr A Carnegie's address is

Skibo Castle, Sutlierlandshire, Scotland. Music. — (1) Eleven le«sons in music are given in a quarter (2) The quarter would date from 14th April to 13th July. Country Bujitkin — The question was replied to last week Two Fe.->l«iices of tvo years to be served concuuiertly does not lengthen the sentence b n vond two years, which period will ba reduced by good behaviour. When that sentence lias expired the woman will bs sent to a reformaloiy and retained indefinitely Yt'hep » person is found guilty of more than ore offence, and is tenfenced to, say, two years on each charge, the sentences to bs cumulative, the second term of imprisonment does not commence until the fii^t U serve J : in other words, tbe sentences would mean imprisonment for four years, less the iemission gain-ed by good' conduct. E^QrrRER. — The skins of cats or domestic

pets may be preserved for a rug- mat as follows. — Maka ? laiher with fcap and | hot water in the usual way. When cool i wash the skin thoroughly in this, so that j the wool is quite clean, and afterwards wast the soap out completely in cold waterMake a solution of alum and Fait by dissolving lib of each in a gallon of water and mixing, thus Iwo gal'ons rr? obtained. , The skin is sometimes placed for a few days in a rnixtuie of bran and water, which slighflv ferments. 1+ is then stctched on an old door or board, and nailed along the edges in. this position, | with the wool or hair next the board. While thus arranged, the fleshy side is daily in the open air washed or sponged with the solution of alum and salt 'until the ouring process is complete. Some state th&i it'Saouia fo& loakel in the' solution

for 12 hours, but we have carried "out tho other plan successfully, although it took more time. Keep the skin well stretched on the board all the time. After some days, before the skin is dry, sprinkle on the flesh side loz each of finely-powdered alum and saltpetre, and rub it in well. If the wool is not now firm, on the skin, let it remain a. day or two and again rub with alum. Again test, and if all right add to soms of tlie solution of alum au-3 salt some wheaten flour and yolk of egg until the whole is in a paste, about as thick as honey. This paste is spread o\er the fleshy side, and allowed to remain for about 24 hours, while being worked! in occasionally. It softens the leather. Stretch the skin and allow it to dry. Then polish off with puraics stone. Anolher method suggested is to treat repeatedly with a '• chrome liquor," which is applied to the rear or hairless side only of the skin, and is not allowed to come in contact with the wool. T&e following formula is found to give good results :— Potassium bichromate, 3!b; hydrochloiic acid, half a gallon; glucose, ljlb to 21b; and waJer enough to make two gallons. When tho skin has been completely impregnated with the liquor, it may be dried, degreased, scoured, ana dyed. Skins thus treated are claimed to be more pliable than these tanned by other processes. J. P. L. — Mr H. M. Davey replies: The time galvanised pipes will last depends upsn several things— (1) the thickness of the iron, (2) whether well or poorly galvanised, (3; whether the galvanising is torn, cracked, or otherwise remo\ - ed or partly so in the bending or manufacture (this is often the case) ; {4) the class of ground, wh el-bar wet, dry, or containing materia-l thai attacks the metal; (5) the claes of water conveyed: if it attacks the metal. I have known of pipes having been eaten in a few months, Tand csain 3 , under favourable circumstances, lasting as maaiy yeaars or more Your pipes may be corroded, or may have a cemanty deposit of si-It or other matter lodging in a low point, or bend or some such place. I presume, however, that you know the fault is not in the pump? A. B C — Air H. M. Davey writes:— l have passed your question on to Mr M'Lintock, who was rather staggered pt the immensity of the figures involved. He desires a little time to consider the question, and will probably let me have his Teply next week. I fefnr, however, that there will not be room enough for the coal, let alone the engines, boilers, crew, and passengers, etc. Yerex. — Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies:— With your Bft wheel in a current of five miles, you would ge* between 4J- to- 5 b.h. power, but you would do better with a. larger wheel, as in one of bigger diameter there would not be so match twist in the floats between the entering and leaving the water as in a, f-mall wheel. Therefore I think that with fixad and properly constructed floats you would get the smaller power above mentioned, while with feathering floats you might get the larger powar. Nemo. — Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies: — As you desire your water to get away to the- canal, and do not want any to return, I certainly think, that ihe doors should b& so hung that they close when entirely left to themselves. Seemg 1 that they acre so small, I do not thtijnk you need go to the trouble of hanging them on centres, as ths bearings would do p.t about half an inch in diameter, but that is as you decide. What is not quite nnderstocd is the fact that at present the lids or doors Eeem to- be hung at a slope. Does that mean that they rre self-closing? If so, then all you would need -would be to hpve them watertight. It. therefore -would seem that the slope may be as much as possible, but so that the water opens the door when the tide or canal is low. The joints between the frames and the doors coukl be made of rubber or leather, or even American clear pin-e I think would do, and if so it would be cheaper. Though I have made the doors as of wood, your iron ones may do if you can fit the closing strips on them (somehow as shown. I think they should keep the doors tight. You might try one first, and say how you get on with it, and if right alter the real to suiY