AND GENERAL HORTICULTURE. 



489 



WAS 



Washingto'nia. The generic name now adopted 

 by some botanists for two species of Cali- 

 lornian Palms, W.filifera and W. robusta. The 

 former is known in cultivation as Brahea and 

 Pritchardia Jilamentosa. 



"Washington Thorn. A common name for Cra- 

 tcBQUs cordata, found from Virginia southward 

 along the Alleghanies, etc. 



"Waited Gourd. Cucurbita Pepo verrucosa. 



"Water Aloe or "Water Soldier. Common names 

 for Slratiokles aloides. 



"Water Anemone. A common name for Ranun- 

 culus aquaiilis. 



"Water Archer. Sagittaria Sagittifolia. 



"Water Arum. The popular name of Calla 

 palustris. 



"Water Beech. A popular name for Carpinus 

 Americana. 



"Water Chestnut. See Trapa. 



"Water Chinquapin. See Nelumbium. 



"Water-cress. See Nasturtium. 



"Waterfall. A "Waterfall or Cascade is a decided 

 improvement where a running stream passes 

 through a park or lawn, and is formed by first 

 constructing a bank of masonry presenting an 

 inclined plane to the current and rendering it 

 impervious to water by the use of cement ; 

 and next by varying the ridge of the bank and 

 the bed of the stream below it with fragments 

 of rock, so chosen and placed as not to pre- 

 sent a character foreign to what nature may 

 be supposed to have produced there. The 

 adjoining ground frequently requires to be 

 raised at such places, but may be harmonized 

 by the judicious planting of shrubs or trees. 



^^Tater Flag. Iris Pseud-acoris. 



Water Gladiole. A name given by Gerarde to 

 the Flowering Rush, Butomus umbellatus. 



"Water Hemlock. See Cicuta. 



"Water Hemp. See Acnida cannabina and 

 Bidens tripartita. 



"Water Horehound. Lycopus EuropcBus. 



"Watering. This is one of the most important 

 operations in the indoor culture of plants, 

 and one that it is almost impossible to get 

 a proper knowledge of without actual expe- 

 rience, as the circumstances are so various 

 when water should be given or withheld, that, 

 were we to write a volume on the subject, it 

 would not be of as much value as a year's 

 actual practice. There are, however, some 

 general rules that it will help the beginner 

 to keep in mind. One important rule is, 

 never to water a plant until it is dry. "What 

 this condition of dryness is, is governed not 

 altogether by the indications of the soil being 

 dry on the surface, but also by the vigor of 

 the plant. A good rule is to rap the side of 

 the pot with the knuckles ; if dry, it should 

 have a ringing sound, and should have suffi- 

 cient water given it to penetrate the entire 

 ball ; if a dull and solid sound, the plant 

 requires no water. A luxuriant plant, grow- 

 ing in a temperature of 70° or 80°, with 

 indications of dryness on the surface of the 

 pot, should receive sufficient water to satu- 

 rate the soil to the bottom ; w-hile a plant that 

 has been cut down for cuttings, or by any 

 other reason defoliated, and thus lessened in 

 vigor, should not be watered until almost at 



WAl 



the point of wilting. Again, experience tells 

 us that soft-wooded plants, such as Gerani- 

 ums, Fuchsias or Heliotropes, will recuperate 

 even when dried to wilting, if thoroughly 

 soaked, while hard- wooded plants, such as 

 Azaleas, Heaths or Camellias, under the same 

 circumstances, would fail to recover. All 

 succulent plants, such as Cacti, Sedums, 

 Echeverias, etc., will admit of being kept 

 nearly entirely dry during the dormant sea- 

 son ; and, although they will exist with but 

 little water even for twelve months, yet, 

 when their proper season of growth begins 

 (which will be indicated by the developing of 

 the buds or shoots), they require water nearly 

 as regularly as the ordinary class of soft- 

 wooded plants. 



The degree of atmospheric moisture kept in 

 the green-house greatly determines the 

 amount of water required at the roots, and 

 a proper degree of atmosplieric moisture is 

 indispensable for the welfare of the plants. 

 "When firing in winter sufficient to raise the 

 temperature to 50 degrees, or in dry weather 

 at other seasons, this moisture can either be 

 had by evaporating pans on the pipes or by 

 syringing, judgment being used, of course, by 

 the state of the atmosphere ; for in wet or 

 muggy weather the artificial means of pro- 

 ducing moisture should be stopped. It is 

 claimed by some, that plants should be 

 watered or syringed by w^ater at the same 

 temperature as the house. When this can 

 be done without inconvenience, it may be as 

 well to do so ; but we have proved by over 

 twenty-five years' extensive experience, that 

 it is not a necessity, for w^e rarely use water 

 at a higher temperature than 45 degrees, 

 either in watering or syringing, and have 

 never known an instance whei-e injury was 

 done. The ordinary watering of plants from 

 sowings or plantings in the open ground in 

 dry Aveather we believe to be of little avail, if 

 it is not sometimes a positive injury, unless 

 the circumstances are such that the plants 

 can be coxn^l&tQly flooded ov irrigated. 



"Water Leaf. A common name for the genus 

 Hydrophyllum, which see. 



"Water Lemon. Passiflora laurifolia. 



"Water Lettuce. See Pisiia. 



"Water Lily. See Nymphati odorata. 



Blue. Nymphoea scutifolia. Syn. N. cyanea. 



Chinese. Nelumbiimi speciosum. 



Egyptian. Nymphma Lotus 



Florida. Nymphceaflava. 



Royal or Victoria. Victoria regia. 



Yellow. Nuphar lutea. 



"Water Locust. Gleditschia monosperma ; found 

 from South Carolina southward, generally 

 near the coast, reaching its greatest develop- 

 ment on the bottom lands of southern Arkan- 

 sas, Louisiana and eastern Texas. 



"Water Maize. Victoria regia. 



"Water Melon. Citrullus vulgaris. The cultiva- 

 tion of the Water Melon is in all respects 

 similar to that of the Musk Melon or Cucum- 

 ber, except that being a larger and stronger 

 growing plant it requires to be planted at' 

 greater distances apart. It delights in a light, 

 sandy soil, and will not grow satisfactorily on 

 heavy, clayey soils. It is now one of the staple 

 crops in many of the Southern States, hun- 

 dreds of tons being shipped to the northern 

 and western markets every season. At the 



