NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3337, 27 February 1918, Page 35

NOTES AND QUERIES.

QiMitiont tor reply In oorolng lsm» Ui k» » MiT«d not lator th«n SATUBJDAY night. - Quo-tiouß will NOT b* Mpliad *> througi tii« poet. Fair Plat—We understand the Pensions Board take into consideration the whole circumstances of a dependent making application for a pension, and would require to know the extent of the dependency when the soldier was alive. As no press representatives are present at the boards deliberations, it is impossible to say to what extent the circumstances of the applicant influence the decision as to the amount of pension to be paid. Constant Eeader.-—An old-age pensioner may earn up to £6O per annum without effecting the rate of pension paid, provided the accumulated property does not exceed £260 in value. Anxious writes to ask if a boy 12 years' of a°-e cai leave school with a competency. . ° No; he must .attend until 14 years of age unless he gains a proficiency certificate, in-which case he would be entitled to leave school on atteinyig 13 years of age. Dubious asks.:— "(1) In sending out lnvrta- ' tions to a wedding should the letters be addressed to Mr Blank or Mrs Blank? (2) Is it possible to drive from Queenstown to Milford Sound? (3) Is there any market for old manure sacks, of which there are thousands in farmers' barns? to the husband, but there are many instances which mav cause this rule to be departed from. (2) No. ' (8) You would probably find a purchaser for the sacks, if in good order, aonong those engaged in the business ; but it. cannot be said there is a market for them. W. S., Waikaia.—lt is impossible to indicate the comparative value or merit of the military and "other'orders of various countries. Both the French, and Belgian croix de guerre (war cross) have been conferred on wonen as well as upon soldiers. ~ Goldie. —The food of a goldfinch should be chiefly confined to hemp p and poppy seed, especially 'the latter. A little green food sliould be given occasionally, such as lettuce or cabbage leaves, groundsel, watercress, etc. When taken from the nest they may be reared on poppy seed and bread soaked in milk and water. In general it will conduce to their health if they be allowed now and again" to pull the seeds from a thist'.o-head. Poor Pussie. —It is not advisable to keep a kitten - with a croupy cough and a wheezing of the lungs. It is generally, believed oats are the means of carrying diphtheria and other troubles to which young people are subject. Subscriber, Woodend.—You might try any poisonous weed exterminator on the gorse, and five the plant later. The writer knows of no specific gorse poison. J. J., Wairuate. —The following process, vised in the British navy to make sailcloth impeivious io water, yet pliant <-.nd durable, might serve your purpose:—Grind 61b English ochre with' boiled oil, and add lib black paint, which mixture forms an indifferent blaek; loz yellow soap, dissolved by heat in half a pint of water, is mixed while hot with the paint. This composition is laid upon the dry canvas as stiff as can conveniently be done with a brush. Two days after a second coat of ochre and bla-ck paint (without any soap) is laid on, and allowing this coat time to dry, the canvas is finished with a coat of any desired colour. Twenty Years' Reader. —The materials required to make lOgal of hc7»e-made beer ore: Half bushel crushed malt, 10lb brown sugar, 2lb treacle. Put the Elult in a large tub and pour 14ga] boiling water on top of the malt, stir for five rcrutltes, then cover up closely to keep the steam in; stir every 15 minutes, replacing the cover after stirring. Whan coir!, s'vain through a cloth into a boiler. To this liquor add t)i?' sugar and treacle and lib best hops. Boil the whole for four hoars, then cool quickly in a tub. When cold add one pint of brjwer's yeast; let it ferment for eix hours, then pour into a small barrel, keeping a bucketful of the liquid for fill-ing-up purposes. The liquor must b<>

allowed to ferment for a few daya, during whioh time the barrel must be kept full, allowing the yeast to run over. "When fermentation ceases, olea'a the outside of the barrel. Now put 2oz of isinglass in half a pint of cold water, and let it stand for two hours. To this add half a pint of boiling water, and when cold pour it into the beer, and bung closely for r-ne week, when it will be ready for the' table. A Sttbschjbeb Since 1862.—1 f the result of the analysis was published, which we think very doubtful, it could be looked up 1 it you oan give an idea of the month and year. If not, then we cannot see how you oould procure a copy of the leport. The late professor removed to Stewart Island, and it is not likely he would have carried there what he would doubtless regard as useless litter. Your best course, probably, would be to have a fresh sample of the ore analysed. This could be don© at the School of Mines on payment of a small charge or by the Government Analyst in Wellington. . . Cream, Berwick, wishes for address of Government Analyst, in order to have cream and milk tested, and fees, etc. "Agricola" replies:—" You can either eend to the Director of Dairy. Produce Department, "Wellington, or to the Dairy Instructor, D'medin. No fees are charged for testing. Pack well and post in samples, with advice." Asphalt, Tainui.—Mr H. M._ Davey replies: "It is most difficult to give exact thicknesses without knowing the nature of the ground the asphalt is to be laid on. For instance,- I have had only about IJin to s 2in of fine top-dressing for paths when the foundation or ground it was laid on was sufficiently hard, and it has stood perfectly. On the other hand, ahd~Ks is very often the case, when the asphalt was laid either ovex a yard or a path, where part was on the solid clay and the remainder was on made-up or filled-in ground, the portion laid on the latter sank 2in or 3in within a month or two, though the surface was all right as the men finished it, and they allowed for the two classes of ground, as they thought. Now, supposing the ground in your case was soft, but pretty evenly so, throughout, you might get ljin rubble or coarse shingle and a "tamper," and well beat the stones in for a start to make it solid. If this were well done from Sin to 4in or sin of coarsei asphalt should be laid and a good inch, of fine stuff over that, when the whole (after the surface is well rolled and allowed to remain a few days or longer, if possible, in case of a subsidence in any part) should be well tarred and sanded. As above indicated, however, the firmer the surface now is the less thickness of the coarso stuff (tarred stones) is needed. If you like you can write again, giving more details, also the approximate size of the yard, and condition of the surface of same." T. 5.8., "Waikaka.—Mr H. M. Davey, con-sulting-engineer, replies:—"No; you cannot pump water when the pump suction pipe is 40ft above the water level. It is true that I have drawings or diagrams of a system used in the Parapara workings in j the Collingwood district that is said to lift water by suction to a height of 44ft; but not having seen it working, I can give no opinion on it, merely taking what is stated with authority to have been done. Water with 1091 b or more pressure in a 13in pipe, with a."7in branch and a 4in throat, is there said to lift water 44ft in a 7in suction pipe, and that is all that seems to be known in the meantime of the matter."