NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3040, 19 June 1912, Page 51

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming issue to be receded not. later than SATURDAY night

Cubiotjs.—The samples of material you sent for examination weare submitted to Professor Park, who reports th«t the' Black ston® is a fragment of shale highly charged with iron pyrites in the rhombic form, which decomposes very rapidly when exposed to the influence of moist air. The green crystals are sulphate of iron—the ferrous sulphate—commonly termed green vitriol, which results from the decomposition of iron pyrites usually appearing as an encrusting efflorescence or in stalactitic form on shales and clays in partially sheltered plaoes. The ferrous sulphate is largely used in the arts and manufactures for the preparation of iron-mordants, inks. Prussian blue, etc. It lias no commercial value except it occurs, in large quantities. Inquirer. —The standard weight of rye-corn per bushel i 9 60lb. The present price ranges at from 2s 6d to 2s 9d per bushel on trucks! * Time-table. —You will find the information you require concerning Australian railway time-tables in a little booklet time-table published monthly by the TJ.S.S. Co. Each State manages its own railways, but tho express time-tables are arranged at conferences between the various authorities. A. J. C. Five Rivers.—(l) The Bank of England has no branch outside England. (2) The bank you refer to did not close its doors during the banking crisis. (3) A ■person is not supposed to manufacture for his own use a patented article, but eo long as no attempt is made to sell the practice is generally winked at. If a patentee, however, demanded his rights there is little doubt he would be successful. G. W. K.. Inglewood.—Your cat is troubled with a fistula due to overheating of the blood. Paint with tincture of iodine every second day. If you give your cat oatmeal and milk, discontinue for a while, as it overheats the blcod. J. H. 8., Wairuna. —J. Ringland, Anderson's Bay, and proprietor of the Abbeyford Ken- . nels, Timant.

J. C. wants to know the usual custom for a chairman of a business meeting in receiving and putting motions and amendments in°the following instances: —(1) If a motion and amendment are moved, and the amendment receives the mo3t votes, has the amendment to be put again as a substantive motion before it is finally carried ? Answer: Yes. (2) If so, can another and further amendment be moved before the previous amendment is put as a substantive motion? 'Answer: Yes. the later amendment being put first. (3) If a motion and amendment are moved, and the motion receives the most votes, has the motion to be put again as a substantive! motion, or is it carried at once? Answer: The amendment which is put first, being lost, the original motion has still to be put to the meeting. (4)- If a motion and amendment are moved, and the amendment on being .put first is lost, can another amendment be moved before the motion is put? Answer: Yes; another amendment may still be proposed. (5) Could you recommend some book (or article) on the rule and conduct of meetings which will state as simply as possible the procedure, to be observed in receiving and puttingi motions? Answer: Some- years ajoMi J. Smyth-Fleming, of Balclutha. published a booklet such as you refer to. but probably it is out of print. "Write to the Clntho. leader Office. A B C—lf the brass is very tarnished it may be rubbed over with a solution of oxalic acid, which must then be ..washed-off with water and the brags rubbed with whiting and soft leather. Brass may Also ba cleaned with rottenstone and oil, .afterwards polishing wrth a- soft leather, or with oxalic acid and whiting mixed and applied wet with a ■ brush ;• brush again when dry with a soft plate-brush and! polish with dry.whiting. Anxiovs.—An axle grease may be made out of lard and blacklead as follows:—To a quantity of good lard rendered semi-fluid (but riot liquid) by sen tie heat in an iron pan is gradually aclded one-fifth F<wt by weight of finelv powdered and sifted blackdead, with careful and continued stirring till the mass is homogeneous and Emooth; the heat is then steadilv increased till the compound liquifies, when it is allowed to cool, the stirring having been meanwhile, kept up unceasingly. Subscribers, Five Rivers.—(l) There is no reason why a. bride and bridegroom should not see each other the evening before they are married. It was the custom at one time for them not to see anything of each other for a whole day before the wedding, but that idea is now dropped. -(2) In a church service the giving-away of the bride is part of the ceremony; if should be by her father, but it may be by any near relative or an intimate friend, not necessarily a man; but in a registry-office marriage" it is not necessary. (3; The cost of a registry-office marriage,, is as follows: Notice "of intention. 2s 6d; certificate, £1; marriage fee, £1; copy of marriage register, 2s 6d;—total, £2 ss.

Subscriber, Five Rivera. —One method of curing opossum skins is simply to pulverise and mix well together one-third alum, and two-thirds saltpetre, and after sprinkling the. powder on the flesh side of the- skin lay the two flesh sides together, leaving the fur outside, fold up as tight as possible and hang in a dry place. In two or three days take them down and scrape and -wipe till clean and supple. *. Another method is to make a solution of alum and salt by dissolving lib . of. each in'a gallon of water and mixing, making two gallons. After the skin has been -.placed, for a few days, in a mixture of bran and water it should be stretched on a board with the hair next the wood, and then the fleshy side should be daily in the open air sponged with the solution of alum and salt until the curing process is complete. After somio days, before the skin is drv. sprinkle on the flesh side loz each of finely vowdered alum and saltpetre, and rub it well in If the hair is not firm on the skin repeat this a day or . two later, then add to some of the solution of alum and salt enough flour and the yolk of an egtj to make a paste as thick as honey, which should be spread over the fleshy side of the skin and allowed to remain about 24 hours, while being worked in occasionally. It softens the leather. Allow the skin to dry, and polish ~&B with pumice stone. Carpenter. Dunedin.—Mr H. M. Davey replies:- No; if you had a. piece of wood any eize, square, eay, for instance, a piece 4in by 4in square, and you decided to make it 4in round by taking off the corners, you would not reduce the weight by a quarter. The weight of the round piece would be rather more than th'ree-quarters of the square piace: tiiua if % the Square piece weighed lib. the round *one would weigh .7845 of ft lb and .7500 (or .75, which is the srime thing) would be threequarters; so .78 i 3 mnta at you will see. Dairyman. Danhevirke.—Mt H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies:—l am glad you have plentv of water, for you will need it for your 25 b.h. po.wer. At your email fall you will need from 37 to 33 heads, or. sav, about 2259 cubic feet per minute. Probably the best machine to deal effectively with this large Quantity would: be <a low-pressure turbine that receives water on the outside. There is one in Messrs Burton's (Liverpool) list that would suit your requirements. It is 4ft 2in in diameter, with a vertical shaft, the .gate delivering water to it being 37iin bv 18Jin; nrico .£95. Or the size smaller, diameter 3ft 9in. price £B2. mifrlit do. It would. I see. be up to the 25 horse you need, but it would need the same amount of water for the power von mention. If. however you do not think you have that amount of water, write again, and if you want to measure the amount and do not know how to do so. write with a description of the creek or river. pivinß it« width and depth of water, and saying if it is possible to ftam.lt for measuring purposes or not. Is it elow or quick running? Farmer, Horseshoe Bend. Lawrence.—Mir H. M. Davey. consulting ensrineer. repliesMy difficulty in replying is the usual onewant of sufficient facts on which to base a proper reply. (1) la the building damp all round, or on the weather side or eid«s «nlv? (2) How Ions: has it been'built and finished? (3) What i fl the concrete rrmda of besides cenwiit— that is. about what size of stones, and is sand included or not? Whit is thp thicknsrs of the dampwalls? When vou say plastered outside, is that done with lime or cement plaster? Is the building a house, shed, or what? Is the damn only in or after rain? There are manv things that might, be done, euch as painting or tarrin.-' outside, but the latter bisht do for a shsrf and would not ba liked for a hou*e. If the building were newly finished, and not pronerly ventilated. or the windows kepi shut, the damo might possibly come from the concrete itself in drying, but in the absence of anv information on the Rtlbiert it is as hard to Teoly as if yon said, I have a pain; what is the cause of it?

Constant Reader, Pyramid.—Mr H. ,M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies: Your idea of reaching a place in the atmosphere where you would remain still while the world moved on its course- was embodied in a story that I read the other day m a. magazine, but though it was said to have been done, it is a thing that oau never be realised. You see, if you could get up in a balloon or other aerial machineabove the atmosphere so as to be able to remain still while the earth revolved you would at the same time get left behind and find no earth to return to, for about a year, anyhow. Roughly, and at t.ie equator, the revolving motion is about 1(XX) mile 3 an hour, and less as you feet nearer the poles, till that motion would' ocase but, and again roughly, the for- • ward' motion is over 1030 miles a minute. or about 69.000 miles per hour, and that would be the one that would bother you the most. Of course, the earth carries the atmosphere with it, else we should get a wind of the above rates to contend-with. But if the idea were possible, you would be like the supposed Irishman who fell Off a roof from a high building. "U™ ™ the fall that hurt me," he said, but the sudden stoppage." Yes! how land, even in places where the was comparatively slow-say 400 to JX> miles per hour? To see a quarter of the Sobl would necessitate your Wg-*»g im miles up- To see the Jalftf any alobe of any size ia impossible unless tbe would have to be about 8000 miles diameter. If any person* fe*ye been y. seven miles up in the air. it W auo f limit, and- thev are even tejy£ hag cold and i?"**'"''* supposed to been described, person* were sup P . ht be shot to the moon it wm £ construction, and the} had i° air in it. -» . T>«vev. consulting engineer, ,J?P* eß arriTfed> and has put Your second letter has arrne , mo in the position of .being; • ;;s definitely to your queation and 1 pe, you attbut two heads diameter will give vu " C M»ine vou have at your 135 ft pressure, but seeing you such -Plendid Pipes /which are equa _ carrying five heada of water) ID 2 l-16in in diameter mgmoo that with the large ■P l P«.™ er * moves friction in the pipes, * 3 presslowly in- them; so you p mire than if the *ZgL2 tom , as that Rfe P'lto^wheel under your pressure should be ab>ut 140. per minute. WB, M.TCH E S.-Mr H- M D-eywrite^-- . The other day a " **«*!•* gj f B urt. In made all right in a by the simp e expedient of P* B *" 1 * , match matches in the hair. As » *fft^gJJ waß soaked in water, and in ajWJ <ff two after the .above had been done it lit at once in "the usual manner. In the counTry oShooting expeditions camping etc th p. might be a roost useful thing to fe WhetLr other makes of-njatehea. would act in a similar mannerr might be tried- if not, then those that can be re tofed so easily had better Mr Burt added that a, certain amount of electricity in the hair might perhaps account for this fact.