NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3495, 8 March 1921, Page 35

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Que«tiona for reply In coming issue to b# reoeired not later than SATURDAY night. Questions will NOT be replied to through the poet. S. M. M. —The harbour steamers Golden Age and Peninsula were both paddle beats. J. R., Arrowtown. —Beyond the brief cable messages which appeared in November last, we have no definite information about the subject. The few reference books to hand so far contain no reference to the results of til© plebiscites. We hope to be able to procure the information for next wee Id s issue. Anxious. —We regret we are unable to supply you with a recipe for flax tea. Perhaps some of our readers may be able to give the desired information. Old Subscriber, Waiareka Junction, asks for the exact weight of a gallon of mnlk of standard quality. The Imperial gallon of milk, to be exact, weighs 10.31 lib, but in commercial circles is deemed 10.51 b or lOJlb to the gallon. The American gallon of milk weighs 8.61 b. No. 49 asks for a recipe for a loaf of biownie. Can any of our readers supply the desired recijie? Onlooker. —A misprint. A ball is considered to have been bowled when it leaves the bowler’s hand. When a “no ball is hit by the batsman and run or runs made the penalty for . the “no ball is automatically cancelled and the runs made counted. The runs would appear in the bowlers analysis on the scoro sheet Ajax.—Sinn Feinn means “ourselves" or “our own.” (2) Your daughter should get into touch with a practical teacher. Dr Bradshaw, the city organist, Christchurch, has several students undergoing a course of study, and she might apply to him. You might, of course, have a suitable teacher 'in your nearest town who would undertake the correction of the test papers. (3) Consult a good medical man, who wruld indicate the causo of the trouble. (4) See Poultry Column. Hydro, Balforfr.—Mr H. M. Davey, consulting engineer, 64 Frederick street, Dunedin, replies: “The standing pressure . at the point you have marked 'A' is, of course, exactly the earn© for both pipes if they end at the same level. If the pipes are of a size that the water does not exceed a speed of about 3ft to 4ft per second the pressure should again be about the same; but if the water is drawn off at a great speed (say as fast as it will run) the lower pipe has a slight advantage, for three reasons—First, it is a little shorter, so the friction is less; second, there is more likely to be a swirl at the entrance to the upper pipe, seeing that you show a very had entrance to the pipes from the tank; end, third, it is shown lower down, at point A. You see, the water presses from the surface to the- exit, and the exits are nearly the same distance below the upper surface, but not quite, the lov.-er pipe having a very slight advantage, for you show it lower than the upper one, though perhaps you intend them to be the same level. The pipe where it leaves the tanlr should he much larger and taper down to a size that the water does not run quicker than above if you want to obtain the best results as to pressure." “Inquirer.”—The materials you sent for examination were submitted to Professor Park, who has reported that the soft, greenish -coloured mineral i-s talc, winch possesses cleaning properties somewhat similar to fuller’s earth, while the pulverulent substance is a clay of. no special value. Talc occurs in beds and lens-sliapcd masses in talcose and chloritic. schist. The massive form is usually known as steatite or soapstone. Pulverised talc is used as u base for fireproof paints, for electric insulators, for boiler and steampipe cover- - as a base for various dynamites, in G.e manufacture of wall-paper, for leather<lr ssing. and as a lubricant. The Harriet Varieties of talc are cut into hearthstones, linings for furnaces, laboratory tables, oven pencils, and gas-tips. The present price is about ft 10s per 'ton. “Subscriber.”- I’rofessor Park informs us that the shining mineral in your sample of lock is feldspar, which has no commercial value. “Rock.” —Your samples Nos. 1 and 2 arc ordinary ferruginous Eandstoncs, such at frequently occur in association with the tertiary coal measures of New Zealand

Sample No. 3 is a decomposed igneous rock, probably a dolerite. Professor Park reports that it would be useful as a building stone or as roadJ-inetal material, provided. it Qccurs in large quantity and in an easily accessible position.