NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 2925, 6 April 1910, Page 55

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming issue to be received not later than MONDAY niglit.

Inquirer wants to know the correct pronunciation of "Tuatapere? Tua^ta-pe-re, . with equal emphasis en each syllable. Parmer.—We are llot aware of any books .published dealing with the subject of water-divining. The local booksellers hav-3 310 such work You will get a good deal of information on the subject in Andrew I/ang's "Origin of Religion," which can be procured at a cost of about Is. Subscribes, Liinehills.—There are no enamelling works in the Dominion. Manufacturers glaze and enamel the inside of drain pipes, etc., but porcelain enamelled haths, . etc.,'are -imported ,as is also the enamel. Tracing.—The original plan of sections' surveyed by Government surveyors can be .inspected and a tracing made at the Survey Departioeht office, Dfanedin. TXo. charge is made for inspection. J. L., Invercargill.—The marine engineers employed in the intercolonial and coastal irade are not working under an award. There is a good understanding between the Marine Engineers' Institute and the shipping companies, and no dispute ha;S ever come before the Arbitration Court. Constant Reader.—(l) The oil of tansy can be obtained from mast chemists. The herb itself, from which a decoction could he made, can be procured, from a herbalist, who -would advise you as to the strength of the decoction, according to the age of the animal to which you intended to administer it. Tansy is grown in many gardens, and is closely allied to wormwood. Tansy tea was an old and popular medicine in England, and the young leaves were used for flavouring puddings, cakes* etc. (2) Sq far as can be ascertained no milking ■machines workable by hand-power are for sale in the Dominion. Subscriber, Mahena.—(!) No such thing as fancy bread is now recognised by law. All bread must be sold by weight. Every person commits an offence who sells any bread the weight of which . at . the - tima of sate is less than the seller represents it to be, or is less than the weight which the buyer demands. Every -person who . sells any loaf weighing at the time of sale less fhan -lib, but more than 31b., or less than 21b, but more than lib, shall be deemed to represent that it weighs 41b or 21b respectively unless he states its true weight. (2) You are now realising the truth of the saying that one year's deeding means seven year's' weeding. This, of course, is exaggerated in the case of barley grass and many other weeds, as they can generally be nearly eradicated in from three to four years. The best method, probably, is to put in a crop of potatoes, planting the rows close together if tlie ground is foul, and during their growth keep the ground frequently stirred. Subscriber, Lumsden, writes that a friend just returned from England brought back some early potatoes which are well shoo'ted, and he asks the best way to keep them till the planting season.— —-The only thing you ©ail do is to plant them in '"'a dry,' sheltered spot, where they will be:free from frost, and then plant the ripest of the forthcoming potatoes. They will naturally be somewhat small. , Anxious asks:—Which side should a gentleman take when walking, riding,. or dancing with a, lady ? In walking, as in riding, the lady must be given the wall. The man must always ride on her right hand. When walking with a lady one should .assume the relative position best adapted to protect her from inconvenience. A gentleman offers a lady his right arm when leading her to a dance. H. M.. Davey writes:—More than one would be glad, to know the explanation of the following: In a lamp where olive oil has to be burnt continually, generally (if not always) with floating wicks, it is found that various oils all professing to be pure olive oil riot only burn for various lengths of time, but all but one appear to eat away the wicks within a few hours, and; that one does not do this, but the wicks continue their original length, and is addition there is a small mushroom top formed over them after many hours' continuous burning. This oil is Crosse and BlackweH's bottled oil (Lucca). The wick* floating in. it burn over 24 hours reliably, and pro rjably would burn much longer if left to see how lpng they would' - otirn.' Adelaide oil, guaranteed to be absolutely

pure, only keeps alight from six to ten hours, and eats the wicks, down so that that is the reason of the light going out. Messina oil burns an average of three to four hours longer, ending with a similar result. The common oils burn only about as' long as the Adelaide oil, also ending in a similar manner. We submitted the communication to Mr G. M. Thomson, F.L.S., who replies:—''l cannot answer Mr Davey's query, nor do I think the subject has been investigated. Except in the countries where it is produced olive oil is not usually employed as an illuminant. Its price is too high. The presumption is that most of the sanrple3 Mr Davey refers to are adulterated. Crosse and Blackwell's is considered to be pure olive oil, but very much of what is commonly sold under, the name is a mixture of cheaper oils, which are often coloured; green with chlorophyll- to simulate the genuine article. Allen in his Commercial,Organic Analysis says: —'Cottonseed oil is perhaps the most frequent adulterant; but arachis sesame, poppy, and rape oils are also used, Poppy oil is said to be i favourite addition, on account of its street taste and slight odour. Fish oils are occasionally empk>3 r ed, menhaden oil being said to be used frequently. Lard oil is l-ajgely used when the price permits of it, "" superfine Lucca oil " being stated sometimes to contain as much as 60 to 70 per cent. Hydrocarbon oils are

also used.' " Schemeb, "Waikaka.—Mr. H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies:—l cannot recom- - mepd a Peitcivi wheel at , the low fall you have, although I believe they have worked . at as low a fall, but I do not know the power developed at such low falls. You might get information from two places: First I would advise you to write stating your requirements to Messrs Price, engineers, Thames, Auckland, who • could quote for the whole plant, but although they table Pelton wheels at lower falls than anyone, chey do not give as low as j'ou have. Then you might get information from: Messrs Valpy Bros., Glenorchy, who have worked with low- falls, fo'r the ■ wheels undoubtedly will work at l'ow falls. The question is, will they give the percentage of power you want ? That is what I cannot say, as I have no information of the subject. If, therefore, the Pelton wheel would not give satisfactory results at your fall, I believe a low pressure turbine would give far better results than a breast wheel, as that gives, a very low percentage, almost as low as a motor can glo2. I-Joughly, with well-designed machinery, you might expect to raise, say, from about four heads at the lower of the falls, and about seven heads pumped up if you used the better of the falls. If it was not that ranis seem not to be made large enough to pump up even one head, Mid consequently so many would be needed, the relative fall to the height to be pumped in either case would suit a ram very well. FooTBALLEB writes i —(1) Kindly give a recipe for a strained muscle, the strain haying taken place a year ago while playing football. (2) What kind of embrocation did the "All Blacks" use when in England? (1) Massage by a» competent ni'ssseur would probably effect a cure. (2) E'ilimaii's embrocation.