AN ENCYCLOPADIA OF HORTICULTURE. 
201 
— Watering —continued. 
instance, be necessary to keep Watering daily, but sur- 
face sprinklings are always to be avoided. The amount of 
water and the frequency of its application are matters 
which can only be known from personal experience in 
dealing with various subjects under cultivation: some 
require it, in summer, two or three times a day, while 
others would be ruined were they similarly treated. 
The time when water is likely to be needed should 
be anticipated somewhat, so as to avoid having to give 
it more than is really necessary during sunshine in 
the middle part of a hot day. In summer, Watering 
should be proceeded with early in the morning if it is 
known that the plants will require a supply before the 
afternoon, the general Watering being given when it is 
nearly time to reduce the air for the day. Should it 
become necessary to water in the day-time, a supply should 
be procured of a temperature equally warm to that in 
which the plants are growing. Occasionally, a specimen 
will get overlooked, and will show signs of flagging; it 
should then be stood in a pail of water until well soaked, 
and kept shaded for the remainder of the day. In winter, 
it is generally very desirable to have the foliage of most 
plants dry at night. Watering is, therefore, best done in 
the morning only; not that it is always necessary to wet 
the foliage, but because of the moisture that must be 
caused by waste on the stages, Zo, 
The necessity for Watering trees, shrubs, &c., outside, 
of course depends on the seasons and other circumstances, 
such as recent transplanting, &c. Whenever the operation 
becomes necessary, it is always best to give copious sup- 
plies, and then to mulch the surface with some dry, light 
material, as this tends to prevent undue evaporation. This 
method of management is also applicable in summer to 
fruit-trees, and, indeed, crops of any kind, indoors or ont, 
that are planted in the ground, and require plentiful 
supplies of water at the roots. 
WATERING-POTS. These, in various sizes, are 
requisite where there are many kinds of plants to be kept 
watered. For trees of all kinds, shrubs, outside garden 
crops, &c., the ordinary kind, with coarse rose, is well 
adapted, but the use of the rose is not always necessary. 
A pot holding from twelve to sixteen quarts is quite 
large enough for carrying and managing when full; the 
latter capacity being an extreme limit. Pots of smaller 
sizes are necessary for watering indoor plants, and these 
are better managed when the spouts are made longer in 
proportion than in the larger sizes. Sizes each holding 
two, three, four, five, and six quarts of water are 
adapted for use with long spouts; these prove most 
serviceable where plants have to be reached at a con- 
siderable distance from the person who is watering. It is 
sometimes an advantage to have the end of the spout 
bent downwards, at about a right angle, where the rose 
is fixed, as the water runs without lifting the can up 
so high. For watering beds, pots, or pans, where small 
seeds have been sown, a very fine rose is necessary, and 
it should fit the spout so that all drip is prevented: 
this is best insured by having the rose made of brass, so 
that it can be readily screwed on or taken off as desired. 
If the same thread is used, several roses, perforated to 
various degrees of fineness to suit the plants or seeds 
that are watered, can be employed for screwing on 
a can. Watering-pots specially intended for Straw- 
berries in spring are not furnished with a cross handle 
over the top; they hold about two quarts of water, and 
are provided with long spouts for the purpose of watering 
the plants referred to, when situated rather closely 
together, and on shelves near the glass. Watering-pots 
are usually either japanned, painted red or green, or 
galvanised in a similar way to ordinary cisterns. If the 
whole surfaee is = proper galvanised inside and out, there 
is no danger of rusting, and Watering-pots made of 
galvanised iron are very strong and durable. 
Vol. IV, 
WATER LEMON. m Passiflora laurifolia. 
WATER LENTILS. A common name for Lemna 
(which see). 
WATER LETTUCE. See Pistia Stratiotes. 
WATER LILY. A common name for various 
species of Euryale, Nuphar, Nymphæa, Victoria, and 
Villarsia. 
WATER MELON. See Citrullus vulgaris. 
WATER MILFOIL. See Myriophyllum, 
WATER OAK. See Quercus aquatica. 
WATER PARSNIP. See Sium. 
WATER PLANTS. A general term applied to all 
plants which grow in water, both in and outdoors. Per- 
haps the most familiar of all are Nuphars and Nympheas. 
With these the following, amongst many others, may be 
associated, but some require a greater depth of water 
than others: Acorus Calamus, Alisma Plantago, Aponogeton 
distachyon, Butomus umbellatus, Calla palustris, Hottonia 
palustris, Limnanthemum nympheoides, Pontederia cor- 
data, Sagittarias, Stratiotes aloides, Trapa natans, Typha 
angustifolia and T. latifolia, and Vallisneria spiralis 
(indoors). 
WATER SOLDIER. See Stratiotes aloides. 
WATER SPIKE. An old name for Potamogeton. 
WATER THYME. See Elodea. 
WATER VIOLET. See Hottonia palustris. 
WATER WHITE OAK. See Quercus lyrata. 
WATSONIA (named after W. Watson, 1715-1787, 
Professor of Botany at Chelsea). Bugle Lily. Syns, 
Meriana, Neuberia. Onn. Iridew. A genus comprising 
according to Klatt twenty-five, according to Baker eleven, 
species of greenhouse, bulbous plants, confined to South 
Africa. Flowers one to a spathe, sessile; perianth tube 
curved or recurved, the lobes sub-equal, ovate, oblong, or 
lanceolate; stamens affixed within the throat; filaments 
free, filiform; rather long; spathes lanceolate, oblong, or 
narrow, often numerous, scattered or somewhat imbricated ; 
spikes long, simple or slightly branched. Leaves long, 
ensiform, rather rigid, veined, the midrib usually pro- 
minent. Stem frequently tall. Watsonias are very pretty 
subjects when in flower. They require a mixture of very 
sandy loam and a little peat. If planted out in a pit 
or frame, where protection from frost can be ensured, 
they will flower much stronger than if kept in pote. 
Little or no water should be given during the resting 
season. Propagation may be effected by offsets, or by 
seeds. 
W. aletroides (Aletrisike) fl. seven to twelve crowded in a 
spike, drooping; perianth scarlet, the tube lin. long, the seg- 
ments acute, fin. long; spathes 'ten lines long; scape terete, 
simple, leafy, ft, to 2 high. June. J, linear-ensiform, thick, 
acute, shorter than the wot ° lin. broad, margined and rib 
with DT 1774. (B. M. 533.) SYN. Antholyza Merianella 
(B. M 
W. einig jl. eight to twenty-four, densely imbricate- 
spicate, distichous; perianth brilliant scarlet, 2in. long, the 
segments oval- oblong, — us: spathes purple, scaríous, 
seven lines long ; scape npe or branched, erect, terete, ere 
form-leafy. June. 4 distic ous, lanceolate- ensiform, ac = É 
SEN much striated. 1825. Syns. W. iridifolia fulgens 
600; F. d. S. 1077), Antholyza fulgens (A. B. R. 192). 
W. brevifolia (short-leaved). x ama to EE imbricate- — 
spicate, distichous or secund ; i 
tube CN curved, the mees 
ge. uspidate, ribbed 
1794. (B. M. 601.) Syn. Er uh 
Ze Bia dense-flowered).* fl. in a dense, aistichoos e; 
perianth edak the tube po 4 Janceolate, 
acute DEE Min. to jin. 
covered with numerous EE 
as long as the leaves, 
Gë L erect, linear, 
2D 
E 
