NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3415, 29 August 1919, Page 39

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Qnstiona lor reply In comlnf l" 0 * to ■• *•> •air** mo* later than SATTJBDAT night. - QoMtkma will WOT b» i»plW *> thro*** «*• post, i Diggee.—The sample of clay you sent for examination was forwarded to Professor Park, -who has reported that it is a. strong, plastic clay, coloured with iron exude. It is not, he says, suitable for use as Fuller's earth, nor does it' contain a sufficient quantity' of iron oxide to. be of value for the manufacture of paint. It may form a good briofc clay, but this can only be 'determined by actual experiment or working test. ... ..•*'■ - 3 8., Spar Bush.—The Public Health Officer, Dunedin,. is of the. opinion that under the circumstances detailed by you there would be no risk whatever in occupying the house: Should you have, any doubt you could set this at rest by _ a good spring-oleaning, making sure that the dust sometimes found in the corners of shelves, above doors, and >other places is removed. A. R.—lnquiry is being made about your question; but it is difficult to get hold of a reliable record. Amatetjb.—To make Bordeaux mixture spray adhesive gelatine has been found successful i* giving great superficial viscosity; but this is rather expensive. Among other substances tried casein has given the best results. It is sufficient to add to a Bordeaux mixture prepared in ;the ordinary way from 3oz to Boz of casein, first dissolved in a small quantity of milk of lime, to obtain at very adhesive spraying mixture. The casein should be dissolved by the following process:—-Mix intimately 3Joz of powdered burnt lime with ljoz of powdered casein. Add to the mixture very little water, and work well into a paste. Thin it down with successive small quantities of water till about a quart of liquid is obtained, whioh is then to be added to the Bordeaux mixture. J. N., Timaru.—The Inspector of Factories advises that your best plan is to write to the inspector in Timaru. At this distance he is hardly able to advise you in the matter as efficiently as the local inspector. If need be, you could communi-? cate with him under a pen-name, though there seems to be no reason why you should adopt that course. A Farheb, Winton.—Asks whether New Zealand farmers participate dn any profits resulting from wool sold in the open market, and, if so, when, or does the "commandeer" end the business. "Agricola"' replies: "Growers will participate in any profits made on wool sold for civilian purposes; but very many woolgrowers have allocated any such profits that may accrue to them to a* fund for the benefit of the dependants of the sailors ofthe British navy and mercantle marine who have been wounded or have lost their lives in defence of the Empire, such fund to be called ' The New Zealand Sheepownors' Acknowledgment of Debt to British Seamen Fund.' The trustees of the fund are the Hon. W. D. S. MacDonald, M.P., Hon. I>. H. Guthrie, M.P., Hon. Sir Walter Buchanan, M.L.C., Sir James Wilson, Messrs E. Newman, W. D. Hunt, and J. C. Grigg. It is not possible to say when any surplus will be announced. Mr T. R. Leo 3, P.O. Box 1109, Wellington, might be able to state. In any case, although the Imperial Government has secured high prices for freed wool, you may be sure that the charges are also excessively heavy." li. C. H J.—Ml H. M. Davey replies: "(1) You should get about 300 gallons "per minute through such a line as you describe, the fall being 1 in 66. (2) Your line/ this time is somewhat Temarkable, aß'you appear to introduce smaller pipes, and then resume ones of a larger size further down. Is that intended or is it a mistake? However, I will suppose it was intended. I am presuming the total longth to be one mile; but your question might mean that it was a mile after the length

of the first line as above, which would make one mile BJ/k chains. You should be able to get 230 to, say, 800 gallons, the fall in this case* being 1 in 14. The pipes of small size in the middle of the line^.may alter the flow a little; it is not quite certain what alteration in quantity they would make. (3) With regard to whether you have made yourself clear, you. have done so with the slight exceptions mentioned above, so if I am wrong in the length write again. If you do, send a rough sketch showing what you call the flat . part, for the above quantities are naturally taken for pipes of moderately the same fall all along. The•. position of the flat, part should be known—that is, is -it i near the instake or near the outlet? Again, is it for power or for the water that the pipes are for? Lastly, which line do you intend : to improve—the No. 1 or the No. 2? If. the latter) do away with the 4in pipes .in that line if possible. It is not of very much use having' the of large pipes with a choking of small ones i included, is it? You might say what amount of water you get at present." Batteby, Makbmako (near Pahiatua).—Mr H. M. Davey replies: "The way you put your question is as if you had said, ' I have a farm, send me* an animal.' If you would only say the kind of battery you need, a reply can most likely -be given. There are so many 6orts for different purposes. instance, there was the oldfashioned battery consisting of Leyden jars, worked and filled by a glass cylinder or plate electric machine that used to be common. These are fairly easily made, but need the machine,' which can also be ; made, and were often made by boys and amateur's, and were very interesting for experiments. 1 have made these myself; but they are getting old-fashioned 1 . Then there is the wet and what is called the. dry battery, now in use for telephones and electrio bells. Now these are bought, and cannot easily be ■ made here, I believe. Then there is the storage battery that is used for lighting and power. Now, if you state what it is for and whether a model one, a small one, or a large one is wanted, please write again."