NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3111, 29 October 1913, Page 47

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Question* for reply In coming Issue to h* received not later than SATURDAY night.

Olive Oil. —Peach, apricot, and plum stones are sown in the spring of the year, and can be planted in either small plots, say, 9in apart, until they have matured sufficiently for planting out or sown where they would be put when ready for planting out. If in another season of the year besides spring, when the fruit has been taken away from the stone they, should bo placed in a box of moist sand until the spring, when they could be sown. It is altogether wrong to dry the stones. Fil-fal. —Yen could not properly enamel a galvanised bath except in a workshop. You can, however, enamel paint it as follows: Prepare crystal varnish by dissolving 6lb gum damar in one gallon of turpentine. This takes about 24 hours to prepare. The mixture requires to be frequently agitated or churned. After this it is strained and allowed to settle a.nd clear. . To one part of this varnish add one part gold size. The foregoing a clear fluid, and requires a colour body. For peach you would require white lead, Prussian blue, and lampblack. The quantities are approximately 61b to 10lb of body to the gallon of varnish mixture. Enamel paints have not always good covering qualities, and in every case a groundwork of oil paint of sonic foundation of the kind is required. The enamel paint is to give brilliancy of colour and glossy finish. You could probably obtain from any large firm enamel paint ready for use. Cl ORE asks: “Am I old enough for the oldage pension—aged 04 in August last (Xew Zealander)? I have no income, but have a small town section and it very old house. I also have f-lose on £IOO. but it is gradually dini'nishing. 1 am rated at £l7O for house and section. If elgible, would you kindly inform me what steps to take and where to apply?” You should go to the registrar of pensions in Gore and make an application. Women of G 4 years are now eligible for the pension tinder The Amendment Act, 1913,” which should be in operation in u few days. If you live on your property you would he entitled on the amount stated to a slightly-reduced pension. Eero. —For the single-handed game of lawn tennis the court is 27ft in width ami 78ft in length. Half-way between the side lines and parallel to them is drawn the halfcourt line, dividing the space on each side of the net into two equal parts. On each side of the net, at a distance of 21ft from it and parallel to it, are drawn the service lines. For the four-handed "nine the court is 36ft wide. Within the side lines, at a distance of 41ft from them, and parallel to them, are drawn the service lines. Energy.—Eels are not canned for export by any firm in Dunedin, nor, so far as we know, by any firm in any other part of the Dominion Eels are not plentiful enough to warrant the setting up of a plant for canning. Demitto. —Write to the chief postmaster, Dunedin, enclosing the receipt you received for the registered letter. Engineer writes: —“I am 21 years old, and would like to know (1) if my age would make much difference to my progress as a marine engineer? (2) Are there any apprentices starting for marine engineering as old as myself? (3) Would tuition by the International Correspondence Schools help me much?” -In New Zealand apprentices to the engineering trade are not taken on when they are so old, because, under the Arbitration Court award the employer would have to pay a man’s wage, and this could hardly be done with an apprentice unless the employer saw that you had extraordinary abilities. The International Correspondence Schools may assist you, but the diplomas would not be taken into account by an employer or the Board of Trade. lleason writes: —“Can the Education Board compel any member of the teaching staff to remain at school to supervise the playgrounds (1) (a) during the whole luncheon hour? (b) During part of the luncheon hour? (2} Has the head teacher power to enforce either or both fa) and (b) ? (3) Are teachers not legally entitled to one hour for lunch?” The Education Act gives the head master power to appoint a teacher to supervise the playground during recesses, and also during luncheon hours. The teachers take different days, and the teacher who has to watch the playground during luncheon hour must make arrangements for his or her lunch. This, of course, is done within reason, and it does not taeaa that the teacher must be on the

ground lor the whole hour. He may eat his lunch in school, and glance through a window where a view of the whole playground may be obtained. Rules dealing with this matter appear in the Otago Education Board’s regulations, and are systematically carried out. Subscriber asks for a recipe for making rhubarb wine. Take slb of rhubarb. Cut it into small pieces. Add a gallon of cold water, and put it into a tub for eight or nine days, stirring it well two or three times each day. Strain, and to every gallon add 4lb of loaf sugar, the juice and half the rind of a lemon. Put it into a cask with 4oz of islinglass dissolved in a little of the liquor. A gill of brandy may be added. Bung the cask closely for a month, and bottle in 10 or 12 months more. Motor. —(l) In a game of 500, with diamonds declared, the jack of diamonds ranks next to the joker ; but the knave of clubs in the same hand would not beat the ace of clubs. A good no trump suit may vary greatly. A long and strong suit of any kind with the joker would lie a good hand. (2). Customs duty is charged on the value, and as a second-hand article would hardly be as valuable as if it were new, the auty should be lower. A. I/. C. —(1) In a four-handed game of cribbage no run is constituted when cards are played in the order given by you—4, 3, knave. 8,2. 1. (2) The player of the last card is entitled to score one point. In some places it is a custom not to scoro the point if the total is 15, but there appears to be no good reason for the custom. Curious. —The recipe "iven has been invariably successful. Perhaps your oil was not pure linseed oil. As you might have some difficulty in procuring the middle bark of the holly, you might try the following; Take scfnc wheaten flour and place in a piece of cotton cloth. Tie up the ends so as to form a bag. Immerse the whole in a basin of water, or allow a stream at water to flow upon it. Repeatedly squeeze the bag mid its contents. The result is that the starch of the whejjten flour is pressed out of the cloth bag, and an adhesive substance named gluten is left on the cloth. Back-blocks. —You may claim exemption if you are distant from the parade centre over one hour’s journey (three miles for a cadet). W. M., Pahiatua.—Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies:—Although I have not got your letter and reply before me, I believe I surely must have suggested that you sent the speed of the engine and also the speed of the pump, or, if not, I fully intended to do so, but as I have not these before me I cannot suggest the relative sizes of the gearing, but you will no doubt do this quite as well yourself. With regard to the crank pin for variable speeds, I give suggestions in fig. 2, where the roughest method is shown of a crank pin forged to a plain slotted bar, and this bolted to a pulley or disc. Fig. 3 shows the most mechanical way, but it may be too elaborate for your purpose, and fig. 4 shows a very simple way. Of course, the part shown as a disc could lie of other shape than round; only round is a neat shape; and in some cases could be a pulley as well. Two hardwood boards, fitted to a pulley, one each side of the arms, will do if the work is not too heavy, and you have the pulley as well. Fig. 1 shows a suggestion for a simple fastening to the pump and a wooden connecting rod. The width of the rod where the plates are, and consequently between the plates, would be wide enough to go over the joint that connects the handle to the pump; the present pin would be removed, and the new one the length of the old one. plus the plates, would be used instead. The old or present pin could be kept to put back if the pump were worked by Hand at any time. I do not quite like the design of the pump, inasmuch as there are no guides to guide the piston rod straight. The packing gland has to do all this, and it is too much to expect of it, but that cannot bo remedied easily, unless the pump were placed vertically. Of course, the disc or pulley carrying the crank pin must overhang the bearings, not be between them; you will readily see that. If you call at the post office you will find the sketch addressed to “ W. M.” You did not put your full name to the last communication, and I did not file your previous one.