NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3247, 7 June 1916, Page 47

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming issue to be received not later than SATURDAY night. Questions will NOT be replied to through the post.

Club Root writes:—"My kitchen garden lost year became infested with club root. I am now trenching it all over. After this is done and the frosts have acted on it, would you recommend a dressing of gas lime or ordinary unslaked lime as the best remedy for the club root?" Answer: On no account use gas lime, but give a dressing of unslaked lime, or, what is highly recommended for club root, Veltha, a preparation which may be obtained from your looal seed merchant. Pension.—Apply to the Registrar of Old Age Pensions, Dunedin, or, if in the country, to the clerk of the court, who will supply you with a form to be filled in. Committee.—The money raised from a concert or any entertainment got up for the purpose of raising money for school prizes should be shown in the balanoce sheet and not as a separate 'account. Alpine.—(l) We submitted your first question to H. E. Shackl6ck (Ltd.), the makers of the range, who reply as follows: "In answer to your request re the safety of starting a „-j;ange with high-pressure boiler when the pipes are frozen—this would be quite unsafe, and no fire slwuld be lit in the range until a thaw has set in and the ice has melted. In districts where frost is troublesome it is wise to put a stop-cock between the cold supply tank and the range. Last thing at night this tap* should be closed, and the hot water tap opened to allow of the whole of the pipes above the level of the hot water circulating cistern to drain thoroughly. Being left empty there is nothing in thern to freeze. The only water in the system is that in the circulator and in the range boiler, and as these are inside the house they are not liable to be frozen. In the morning the stop-cock on the cold supply pipe may be opened and the fire may be safely lighted." (2) Rubber overshoes can bo repaired provided the' rubber has not entirely perished; but the expense of sending them into town would be more, probably, than they are worth. You could, however, repair the heel yourself by placing' a. layer of leather inside the heel and a. similar layer outside, having tho rubber bet/ween, and sprigging together. (3) Yes; smoked fish can bo sent by parcel post; but it must be properly packed. The ■i "lu-f.-l ■ ute is for the Ota go district only, &nd is 2d for the first pound, and Id for ."cry acjitional pound. A war tax of a halfpenny is added to each parcel. Glvpe writes:—"This year I grew a number of egg-plants of two varieties—the white eyg-shap-ed and a purple long, out of curiosity. Have any of your readers had euy experience of their edible qualities? Should they be used ripe or in the im-

mature stage? To mo they appear, in spite of certain catalogues, to be practically useless as edible garden products. I should be pleased to have information from any person with experience." The egg-plant is highly ornamental, and is used for adorning dishes of mixed fruits, but is notedible. There are several varieties, but the fruit in each variety is egg-shaped, white, yellow, or purple.

W. S. —The choice between dry-salting pork or bacon and curing in a pickle is a matter of last© or convenience. The dry-salting plan is varied by the addition oi sugar to the salt used, known us sugar-curing. To begin, however, the immediate treatment of the carcase after killing has an important influence on the subsequent curing. The almost, universal practice is to hung up the skewered carcase till it is "chilled" or stiff. Experts, however, eay that immediately the carcase has been dressed, disembowelled, and rung up, it should bo cleaved down. With the sides thus eepa<rated nearly the whole of the objectionable matter permeating the spinal and upper ©id* boxes is allowed to exude, and may be wiped off. This is the matter which troubles curers, and in farm bacon-curing occasions so many failures. If you intend to adopt ''pickle curing," the brine is prepared as follows, the quantities being for one pig:—One-pound bag salt, Blb of pure common salt dissolved in as much boiling water as will completely cover the bacon, to be poured on when cold. The strength of the pickle is easily gauged. If it. floats an egg or potato it is right. After a two or three days' 'immersion ihe pork will bo purged ot the bloody serum, and this will float on the- surface, and should be skimmed off. The "green bacon" should be taken out, placed on boards, and allowed to drain thoroughly. The pickle then should be boiled and skimmed, and any iresh quantity with a proportion of not more than 2oz (less will do) saltpetre added to every 41b of salt used. Saltpetre, dry, in a very 'small quantity, should bo inserted at the joints only. This agent is purely an astringent, and while imparting colour, for which purpose it is chiefly used, it dries and hardens the meat, and therefore care should be taken not to use any ■extensive quantity. After a fortnight in the second pickle—a less time if smoking is to follow —the bacon should be hung up, it having been well rubbed with clean, coarse cloths till perfectly dry. If the "dry-salting process" is adopted the pig should be cut up into hams, hands, spare ribs, loin, and belly pieces. The spare ribs and loin are generally used for roasting fresh. The other portions are rubbed over with coarse salt and a little saltpetre, and laid on a table flesh uppermost, so as to drain off any blood. The system of drysalting is to be recommended, as "by it the bacon is not so flabby as in the case of that steeped in brine. To make good bacon by the dry process equal quuntilies of best Liverpool salt and brown sugar are used, Joz of saltpetre to each lib of the mixture. This should be thoroughly rubbed into the pork every' second day, and the position of the meat changed at each rubbing—that is, put the top portion at the bottom, and vice versa. The time required for finishing the bacon will depend upon the size of the pig and the state of the weather. Salt goes into the meat more quickly in wet than in dry weather. The place for curing should be cool, with free circulation of air. From three to four weeks will be required for the curing of a good-sized pig. One Who Wants to Know.—Without knowing more definitely the terms of the policy and the company or office which issued it it is impossible to reply explicitly. Probably a- loan might be obtained from the office on the security of the policy. Then it should have a surrender value—that is, the office issuing it would pay the insurer for surrendering the policy. The west course is to communicate with the general manager of the office which issued the •policy, and ascertain the best terms which can be obtained.

Parmer.—(l) The price per ton of swede turnips is to-day 265, Dunedin; or, eay, 20s per ton on trucks, Stirling. (2) It is inadvisable to allow the cream to get too ripe before delivering at factory, and in dealing with a small quantity it would d-j as well to use two cans, and pour one day's supply into one receptacle, and the following day's cream into the other can or jar, and continue so alternately, sending m, say, once a week. The temperature should be kept somewhere between 40deg and 50deg. (3) The positions and size of the stars; on the New Zealand flag depend upon the size of the flag. Apply to" the Government Printer, "Wellington, for a copy of the diagram showing proportions. Circular Tank.—Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, replies:—"As you do not give the diameter nor the height of the tank. I can only give what I fancy might suit; if, however, you want it of bigger diameter, and, consequently, of less height, or the reverse, let me know. Many tanks have been satisfactorily built as follows: —If tho internal diameter were Sit 6in, and the internal height 6ft, it should hold 2124 gallons when brim full, or, say, 2000 when conveniently so. Whether you partly or wholly excavate or not you first make a level tamped surface for the bottom about 9ft or slightly more in diameter. This should bo covered with Sin of concrete (fine) if the ground is. good, and, of course, more if not. Then you get sufficient boarding: the height of the tank (a little over 6ft long), preferably seconds T and G floorinPenough for the 30ft girth, and so erect that it looks like a large barrel. Thin hoop iron or fencing wire binding is now needed • say, three or four bands to keep it together. This forma the outside of the tank, end there is no inside boarding needed. Now you get a number of staples and fencing wire .and small block of wood about lin long and about Jin thick, and fitting the inside of tho staples the other way, probably about Jin or so. Now get fencing wire in coils and begin at the bottom, stapling the wire and keeping it about gin from the boarding concrete. The wire should be wound round and round ascending screw fashion, each turn being about ljin rise, so that there would be about eight turns to rise each foot, or 48 for the six feet, with, say, two parallel turns for the top rim, or about 50 times 30ft of wire in all. When this is done you can form the tank with a rich mixture, say. nbout 2 to 3 of sand to 1 of cement, making .a wall, say, 2in to 3in high as it will stand, the mixture being rather stiff. and, say, Sin thick; for, with this construction, the tank is only that thickness et the bottom, and even slightly thinner at the top—say. 2Jin thick there. By the time you have fixed your wall, working in the inside ns you must, all round the 30ft. the stuff will, or should, be stiff enough for the next course, which will always be as deep as you can conveniently make it stand, and as you go on you may make it deeper as you get accustomed to the work. At every foot or so you should cement tho part done with rich cement plaster, or, if preferred, thw can be left to th<~ end, and all done together, finishing with a steel trowel, and well dono. Any cement that

falls would be spread so that part of tho bottom would be done as the work proceeds. The -rJo;;rding may be left or removed as preferred. Now for quantities. Say the whole was 3in thick no an average, fch«n:—3oft x 6ft plus Oft Gin diameter is equal to ISO plttS 70 equal to 251 square feet equal to 28yds at 3in thick equal to 7 cubic yards, so there will be about seven cubic yards of sand (though gravel could be substituted for the bottom), and about a third that quantity of cement. As you know, the cement counts nothing in bulk—only tries to fill up tho spaces. Ask if you wont anything more or any other construction of tank."