NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3148, 15 July 1914, Page 47

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming issue to bo received not later than SATURDAY night.

L. H. Ward. —The plant with the orange berries is in ail probability an astolia, the characteristico of leaf and berry of which are very much as you describe them. The description you give of the other plants you saw —“ tall, flexible-looking reeds about 12ft in height,” from about 2ft of the upper part of which “ long reddish or purplish leaves depended, much as the ribs of a half-opened umbrella do from its handle”—rather favours the idea that the plants were Ikncewood/ and not reeds; but as you are evidently acquainted with the New Zealand bush, this idea must be discarded. There is a reed from which the flowers and seeds stand out on horizontal stems; but your description of the leaves on the plant you saw forbids the belief that it is the reed in question. If it is at all possible to procure specimens of the reed or its leaves, we should no doubt be able to get it identified for you; or pos- ' sibly you have means of having it photograhed. Argument, 0-ore wants to know what skins cony seal is made from? In such cases as this the material used and the method of manufacture are usually a trade, secret. The use of “ cony ” indicates the material foi "icny is the rabbit, and cony seal is made trom tfce fur of the rabbit, which is shaded from the skin that bore it, and then manufactured into the eo-cailed cony seal. Subscriber writes:— “lf the first meeting of householders is declared invalid, and , another held, must, the report, balance sheet, etc., be read at tho second meeting of householders when the. chairman is asked to read them?” Tho Act provides that the proceedings shall be the same as at the annual meeting. J. K., Palmerston North, writes:—“(l) Is a person residing in New Zealand for 22 1 years able to get the old-age pension at 62 years? (2) Can a widow get the widows’ pension at 60- years of ago, and has no children under 14 years of age?” (1) No. The period of residence is 25 years; but even if the residence proviso has been complied with, if the person is a male the age would have to be 65 years. (2) Yes. All women are entitled to the pension at the ago of 60" years, provided the other requirements are complied with. Victim would like a remedy for the nuisance caused through a neighbour’s cows pulling up a recently-planted olearia hedge, notwithstanding 10 tightly-stretched wires, five of them barbed. We can only suggest that permission be obtained to erect a temporary fence some sft or 6ft away from the hedge. A. C. T. wants to know where the words and music could be obtained of an old Scotch song, each verse of which ends with the word i, “ The wee thackit hoose beyont the burn?” Perhaps some of our readers may b© able to oblige our correspondent. Subscriber—(l) So far as we are aware, -Russia is the only country which has adopted anything like S‘ate control. In other countries the liquor traffic is regulated. In Sweden and Norway there is a form of State control which applies to spirits only. By this rural districts are given the power of local veto, and the light to fix the number of licenses, and put them up to auction or hand over the retail traffic altogether to a company formed for the purposes of carrying it on. Russia in 1895 began to convert the previously-existing license system into a State monopoly, and this was gradually expended to +be whole country. Tho distilleries remain in private hands, but their output is under Government control. The retail sale is confined to Government chops, which sell only in sealed bottles for consumption off the premises, and to commercial establishments which sell on commission for the Government. Spirit bars were abolished, and only in a few high-class restaurants were spirits sold by the glass. The ordinary eating houses and at railway refreshment rooms they are sold in sealed Government bottles that may be consumed on the premises. (2) Avizandum means “ private consideration.” J, D-, Addisons. —Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies:—“l am glad you were assisted by ray suggestions, and more so that vou let me know, as otherwise oneis never aware how suggestions suit. Now,

in re the cam which is worked with an eccentric motion, it grips the rope by the eccentric portion being a very easy slope, not too sudden a one; or, in other words, the movement of the cam—which is, perhaps, nearly a quarter of a circle from open to shut —must not be much more, X-robably, than a qaurter of an inch or so in the whole distance, and then the working face of the cam and that of the pulley it presses the ropo between should each fit the rope as nearly as possible that is, both faces should each be nearly a haltcircle. The rope will not be injured if this is attended to, as the hill tramways m Dunedin are worked on this plan, the rope, which in their case is _ travelling at the speed the trams go at, is pressed between two nearly half-circle faces, and held tight enough to take the tram from rest on the hillside up the hill, with a full load besides. With yoi.r devise the rope i« not subjected to such a treatment, as it is quietly gripped between the hollow of the pulley and the other hollow of the eccentric cam, the latter being roughened with fine teeth for a better grip. Are there no Venetian blinds near you that work on this plan? They are to be found, perhaps, and if of the make like yours, they would

be a guide to you.” JJoRSE. —You supply no details about the stallion—his age, whether thoroughbred or draught, or whether the animal is housed or allowed to run in a paddock. Boiled barley and boiled linseed oil malic a good feed. J. C.j Reefton.—lf you are short of power you would do well to have a graduallytapered pipe right to your nozzle, and as long a one as convenient. From 10ft to 20ft long would be ‘good, as I fancy now you have sudden changes of size of pipes, which confuses the flow at each sudden reduction. Your llin pipe line could carry from two to two and a-half heads casjly with but very little friction, while your gin nozzle only uses one-quarter of a head with the fall you say you have, so you _ could easily make a gradually-tapered pipe to the nozzle, and also increase same if still necessary. See that the way to the nozzle is as smooth and even as possible, as often power is lost by the queer ways the water has to go to get to it. Also avoid all sharp turns or bends as much as possible. X have been asked before ae to the exact power needed for driving .a chaffcutter when the size of the mouth was given, but on inquiries from several makers the result was not very satisfactory, as the make of the machine, the sharpness of the knives, the state of the bearings, etc., make such a lot of difference; hut I do not think the motor you/mention would be quite strong enough, though if you have one of that size, you might try it before getting another and larger one. Penny—You will find the postal rates given on th-e first pag© of oaioh. issue namely, In New Zealand, Cook Islands, etc., Id ; Great Britain and dependencies, including Canada, Id; all foreign countries, 84 pages,

3Jd; 92 pages, 4d. Lucerne. —The chances of success are so greatly increased by the use of inoculated soil when sowing lucerne that the precaution should not bo omitted. Inoculated soil can be procured by writing to the manager of the Matangi Orchard, Earnscleugh, Central Otago. If you send particulars - as to the soil, etc., he would advise you as to the minimum quantity which should be used. Hypnotist writes; —“ (1) I generate electric light by means of ’non-polar ’ cells. Will it require more current to light the bulb at five yards away from the cells than it would if the bulb were close to the cells ? (2) From what firm of booksellers could I secure a list of books or courses of instruction on occult sciences?” —(1) Not unless very fine wire is used as leading wires. (2) At Messrs Duncan and Simpson, Braitbwaite’s, and other leading booksellers, also, no doubt, at booksellers at Invercargill. M. A. R., Livingstone.—Mr H. M. Davey "replies:—“l have a good idea what a man who might b© sent out by the telephone department might, and probably would, call it, and also the one who put it there, seeing that unless the ground was very dry ft would confuse or destroy the use of the telephone; but that is not exactly what you want. I am glad you give the supposed length, of the wire as 20ft, ££&* otherwise the ground might have supported the weight of it, and it might then only be leaning against the overhead wire; but with that length it must be entirely supported, or so nearly so that it would be said to be supported by the overhead wire, and .so it must, I believe, be said to be hanging, for if you were hanging in a similar manner, and as little supported as the wire •would be, those who found you would say that you were found hanging - . Alford.— Mr H. M. Davey replies:—“l have not been able to find the book you want, and think you should take the editor s advice in the reply last week, unless you care to advertise in some of the papers for it. You might, perhaps, get it that way.” Reader.— Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies:—"‘Through the courtesy of Mr Cooke, of the well-known firm of Messrs Cooke and Howlison, of this city, I am able to inform vou that the Royal Automobile formula is as follows; —Measurement, if in millimetres, where one inch is equal to 25.4 (millimetres (not quite 254) Formula. D = diameter of cyliuder in millimetres. N = number of the cylinders. D 2 x N 1613 K" o te. —This formula assumes a constant piston speed of 1000 ft per minute, and a mean effective pressure of 67.2 (nearly 67J) square inches. Also alternative measurement, if hr inches — D 2 X Q 2.5 You wall observe that,the engine’s stroke is not taken into consideration. With regard to the other question, wdiich is also somewhat out of my line, I inquired of Mr Jones, jun., of Messrs Turnbull and Jones, electricians, and he very kindly informed me that 746 watts is equal to 1 brake horsepower. Again, on the Continent—such as in France and Germany—736 watts only are needed for a horse-power, and, finally, IJ.S.A. horse-power is about 30,000 instead of 33,000. One kilowatt (kw) is equal to 1000 watts.