NOTES AND QUERIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3517, 9 August 1921, Page 35

NOTES AND QUERIES.

Questions for reply in coming issue to be ro» ceived not later than SATURDAY niglit. Q neat ions will NOT b® replied to through tko post. Secretary asks for the date of next -Easter, and, in view of the importance of the date in arranging dates for show purposes, suggests we publish a list for a few years ahead. In 1922 Easter Sunday fails on April 16; 1923, April 1; 1924, April 20; 1925, April 12; 1926, April 4. Anxious. —You appear to have mixed up your question. Try again. Bunny asks how to tan rabbitskins. The most simple we know is as follows: Mix together four parts of alum and one part of saltpetre. Sprinkle some of the mixture on the skin, roil up tightly, and hang up for eight or 10 days. Then unroll the skin, stretch it on a board, head downwards, and fasten with tacks. Paint t-ie skin all over with the same solution, leave till nearly dry, and rub with pumice stone. Repeat the painting and rubbing eve ry morning for three or four days. Scrape with u blunt knife, bang up again, and pull till soft. See also reply to H. R. P. Wee \Yii.iui: asks what was the market price per ton for potatoes in November, 1918. Potatoes v.-ere short in November, 1918, and realised for the first three weeks £l4 per ton. The last week in November they were £lB per ton. Churchman. —-Would suggest that you should submit your queries to your church paper. (1) Aecoiding to Chambers's Encyclopedia, nowhere in the New Testament is there any express statement that the first day of the week was to lie kept in place of the seventh as the Sabbath. The earliest Christian writers do not identify the Sabbath and the Lord's day. But whateyer may have been the opinion and practice of early Christians in regard to cessation from labour on the Sunday, unquestionably the (first law, either ecclesiastical or civil, by which the Sabbatical observance of that dav is known to have been ordained is tho edict of Constantino, 321 A.n., of which the following is a translation: “Let all judges, inhabitants of the cities, and artisans rest on the venerable day of the sun. Cut in the country husbandmen may freely and lowfully apply to the business of agriculture; since it often happens that the sowing of corn and planting of vines cannot lie so advantageously performed on any other day. lest by neglecting the opportunity they should lose the benefits which tlic divine bounty bestows on us.” (2) The point as to which Pope of Rome was tho first to he selected and enthroned appears not to be quite clear in the works of reference v/e have so far consulted. Persian fflvdeV- After fever the hair invariably copies out, and it is doubtful if it is not wiser to have if cut. It is almost impossible to prescribe hair treatment for a person as what may Vx-nefit one person mav prove useless f_.r another. A bit depends on the kind of hair. Massage treatment is without doubt very good, and if j; Is not possil Ic to receive it at the hands of a competent person you might try rubbing in a little paraffin into th: roots every night. (2) For the Persian kiiten, constn t attention to the coat is required. Good brushing with a hairbrush and combing si' uld !■■■ ri- en daily. Cutting the mattci hair spoils the coat, and it is not advisable to wash it. Attention to the coat end good feeding should improve matters, though it will take time, since it has got into such bad condition. Chess. —You will find the pa? titulars you ask about in the handbook '‘Modern Iloylc, obtainable at all booksellers.

11. R. P. asks how to cure dried rabbit or opossum skins. Remove all grease, etc. Bay the skin, flesh side up, cover with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda). If the skin is just taken off the animal nothing else is required: if the skin is dry, it should be soaked a bit. Leave it till dry* Then knock off the superfluous soda, and rub the skin about a bit, and it will become beautifully white and soft. It is much better than alum or salt curing, because it never has that clammy feeling which alum gives a skin. The leather of a skin so treated resembles chamois, only it is white, lie re is a good method which may be handier, and which has given good results, in some cases at all events: —Soak the skin for 36 hours in water, and then spread it over a smooth, curved surface, and remove all fat, and scrape off flesh wil£i. a very blunt knife. Now soak in salt water for 4S hours, and give another scraping. Make a bath containing 2lb chrome alum, 21b washing soda, and four gallons of water. See that the liquid quite covers tbo skin. Stir or souse the skin in the liquid occasionally. When the cut skin shows white right through tanning is complete. Remove, rinse thoroughly several times in fresh water, and dry slowly. When dry, scrub with a piece of sandstone on the flesh side. Tennis.—A tennis court is 78 feet long over all and 36 feet wide over all —that is, the double court. The single court is 27 feet wide —that is, a line 4ft Gin from the main outer court runs down either side. From the base line to the service court is 18 feet, and the width cf the service court is 21 feet on either side of the net. The net is 3ft 6in high at the posts and 3ft higli in. the centre. Once you get the centre from which you intend to make out the court, with the above measurements the rest is comparatively simple. We are not quitecertain if you purpose making a grass court or a-n asphalt one. In the latter case wo suggest you communicate with Messrs Manley and Koast, asp halters, Dunedin, who would supply you with the necessary information. If a grass lawn is intended generally autumn is the best time to sow, but you have missed that season, and -spring time must answer. It would be necessary to dig up the land (attending to drainage if necessary), trenching, and keeping the lawn as level as possible, liming and leaving soil fairly rough throughout the winter. In September, once the land is dry enough, level thoroughly, Toll, and: sow a seed mixture like the fol--low ing: —F iori n (A gros ti s s t 010 ni fe r a), Crested Dogstail (Cynasarus Cristalus), Sheep’s Fescue (Festuca ovin-a tennifoli.a). Sow an equal weight of each, allowing loz per square yard. Dress lawn when sowing with 2ewt- of phosphatic manure. In laying down to grass it is absolutely essential in order to ensure success that the land is clean -and seeds pure, and there is nothing like a bare fallow to secure the former, while being generous in seeding tho latter will effectively smother any weed growth. A Subscriber (Mataura) -asks if there are any maps of New Zealand obtainable slewing the railways, roads, streams, etc' At the present time there does not appear to bo any official map except that published by the Government which is in the railway guide. There used to be one in Stone’s Directory, which would supply your wants, but they have not published them for some time. Miner, N-aseby.—The main south trunk railway (not the Otago Central railway, which leaves the main line at Wingatui) passes the western end of the Carisbrock cricket and football ground on an embankment high enough to permit of a view being obtained of the whole ground. In one sense the ground is situated between the railway and Anderson’s Bay, and from the railway line a person could see portion of Anderson’s Bay. The latter, which is east of Carisbrock ground, is some considerable distance north of Carisbrcok if a line* were drawn east and west, but, looking in the direction of the bay at an tingle south of the ground from tho railway, it would not I>9 incorrect to say that Gar is brook was in a direct line with Anderson’s Bay. The position is somewhat difficult to “understand without the aid of a map. Anderson’s B-ay may l>e said to be in a direct line with the north end of the southern recreation gre-und, and Carisbro-ok ground is about 60 chains south of the point where the Anderson’s Bay road leaves Princes street. The railway line crosses the road by means of a bridge, the railway embankment continuing through Kensington until the Main South road is crossed by another bridge, where tire Caversham cutting commences. Northerner.—The new Returned Soldiers’ Club, which was shown recently among our illustrations, is at the junction of Burlington street (formerly Macandrew street) with Moray place, on the cite of tho first f Returned Soldiers’ Club, at one time the I residence of the late Dr Hoc ken. The narrow' frontage shown on tho right cf our ! reproduction is to Moray place, and the other frontage is to Burlington street. No other building was shown on the illustration, but on the right a, portion of the blank wall of what was at one time the Coffee Palace could be seen. On 1 lie opp-o----i site side of Burlington street is the First j Presbyterian Church and grounds. The club is less than 100 yards from Princes j street, the intervening premises being tho i Criterion (one time the Coffee Palace) and j City Hotels. Tho building opposite to the club in Moray place is the warehouse of ; Messrs Macky, Logan, Caldwell. E. W. M., Invercargill, asks: (1) Is pure aluminium impervious to nitric acid? (2) AY hat is the meaning of “bisurated” (such as bisurated magnesia)? (3) At what speed does the fastest bird in the wordl fly? | (1) ITow many people can the new grandstand at Cavisbvook ground, Dunedin, 1 hold? (t) Aluminium is not affected by | cold nitric acid, but is if the latter is ; boiling. (2) A commercial term indicating a combination of magnesia and bismuth. (3) Sixty miles an hour on last advices. (1)-Upwards of 1500. LAW QUERIES. [Answered by a solicitor of the Supreme Court, of New Zealand. Letter- an i Telegrams roust he addressed io “LEX,” c/o Editor, Otago Witness, Dunedin.] Persian asks: If a d-u comes out on aroad?ins and bites me could I shoot it without being; linod for so doing? You n:ay immediately dcsiioy the dog, but you arc" not allowed to discharge any firearms oh any rose.], sired, or public place. St HKfRiRER asks: (1) Ii 1 get mortya ;.'c on a house property can the mortgagee compel me to transfer my fire insurance policy into an office approved by the moitgagee ? ■ (2; What is tho usual charge for .a Mortgagee Indemnity Premium? Answers; 1 (1) Yes, (2) One shilling per centum of the mortgage, with a minimum charge ol 4 6s.

Lester asks: Can my neighbour remove a hawthorn dividing fence and compel me to pay half the cost of erecting a new fence? Answer.—No. E. C.—(l) You are entitled to the land included in your certificate of title, but you should have the fence moved back to the true boundary line. (2; If yon build a flood bank which raises water on to your neighbour’s property you will be liable to him for any damage which might occur to his property. J. R. —The purchase of tho farm property includes the buildings that are on the farm. YETEKINA U Y QUOIES. [Answered by a duly qualified Veterinary Surgeon. Queries must be received by SATURDAY night to ensure reply in the succeeding issue.] Dairyman, Gore, writes as follows: —“Could you enlighten me as to what would be a good preventive for ‘redwater’ in dairy cows? We -are feeding heavily on turnips just now, carted on to grass paddock, and also feeding on thrashed straw and oaten sheaf daily. (2) Would subsoiling be a substitute for dra-ining? I have not got the strength to pull a drain plough. Do you think subsoiling would do for a season. It is hilly ground, and very wet. What depth do you advise?” (1) This is a trouble which you can rectify by providing cows with a balanced ration. An excess of turnips is provocative of redwater. Ease up in the.se, and change the feeding somewhat, giving, say, hay, oaten straw, and crushed oats. The trouble is dietetic in origin, and change is therefore necessary. If this does not bring improvement and you wish medicinal treatment write -again. (2) In .a measure subsoiling will answer, but it is necessarj' to see that the “getaway” of the water is satisfactory, and in ploughing endeavour to run the fur row 3 down towards the fall of the ground. Subsoiling may be effected with the subsoil plough running behind an ordinary plough, the tine going several inches deep, or the tino is sometimes fixed to the ordinary plough, and tho ploughing and subsoil ing done in one operation. A depth up to 7:n should do admirably. Inquirer, Rrae’s Junction, writes in respect to his bull and young stock, etc. The bull has suffered irretrievable damage, I am afraid, from probably wire fence or something similar. A well-developed yearold bull would do for a few cows, but- not a herd of any size, and considering your herd is a Shorthorn, and cows, therefore, not a small kind, it might be best to secure a two-year-old. Don’t rest satisfied with an ordinary Shorthorn bull, as suggested, but get, sav, a bull from a Shorthorn milking strain, or Friesian, or other dairying breed. Shortliorn-cross Alderney heifers are not to be despised, and there are other breeds.