WHEAT 1127 



The Ton varies in a similarly unfortunate manner : 



The Statute ton called short ton . . 20 cwts. of 112 Ibs. = 2240 Ibs 



Staffordshire ton long ton . . 20 120 = 2400 



boat ton . .24 120 = 2880 



South Wales from 2400 to 2618 



Ayrshire 2464 to 2520 



WEXiD, or Dyer's Weed (Gande, Fr. ; Wan, Ger.) A biennial plant, native of 

 Britain, Italy, and various parts of Europe ; the Reseda lutcola of botanists. Weld is 

 preferred to all other substances in giving the lively green-lemon yellow to silk. 

 Although the quercitron bark has almost superseded it in calico-printing, -weld is still 

 largely used in dyeing silk a golden yellow, and in paper-staining. 



WEXiEZNG (Soudcr, Fr. ; Schwcissen, Ger.) is the property which pieces of 

 wrought iron possess when heated to whiteness of uniting intimately under the 

 hammer without any appearance of junction. See IRON. 



WEZ.I.S, ARTESIAN. Seo ARTESIAN WELLS. 



WH-aiiKBONE (Bakine, Fr. ; Fischbcine, Ger.) is the name of the horny 

 laminae, consisting of fibres laid lengthways, found in the mouth of the whale, which, 

 by the fringes upon their edges, enable the animal to allow the water to flow out, as 

 through rows of teeth (which are absent), from between its capacious jaws, but to catch 

 and detain the minute creatures upon which it feeds. The fibres of whalebone have 

 little lateral cohesion, as they are not transversely decussated, and may, therefore, be 

 readily detached in the form of long filaments or bristles. The blades, or scythe- 

 shaped plates, are externally compact, smooth, and susceptible of a good polish. They 

 are connected, in a parallel series, by what is called the gum of the animal, and are 

 arranged along each side of its mouth, to the number of about 300. The length of 

 the longest blade, which is usually found near the middle of the series, is the gauge 

 adopted by the fishermen to designate the size of the fish. The greatest length 

 hitherto known has been 15 feet, but it rarely exceeds 12 or 13. The breadth, at the 

 root end, is from 10 to 12 inches ; and the average thickness, from four to five tenths 

 of an inch. The series, viewed altogether in the mouth of the whale, resemble, in 

 general form, the roof of a house. They are cleansed and softened before cutting, by 

 boiling for 2 hours in a long copper. 



Whalebone, as brought from Greenland, is commonly divided into portable junks 

 or pieces, comprising ten or twelve blades in each ; but it is occasionally subdivided 

 into separate blades, the gum and the hairy fringes having been removed by the 

 sailors during the voyage. The price of whalebone fluctuates from 50Z. to 150/. per 

 ton. The blade is cut into parallel prismatic slips, as follows : It is clamped hori- 

 zontally, with its edge up and down, in the large wooden vice of a carpenter's bench, 

 and is then planed by the following tool, fig. 2115. A, u, are its two handles ; c, D, is 

 an iron plate, with a guide-notch E ; F, is a semicircular knife, screwed firmly at each 

 end to the ends of the iron plate c D, having its cutting 

 edge adjusted in a plane, so much lower than the 

 bottom of the notch E, as the thickness of the whale- 

 bone slip is intended to be for different thicknesses : 

 the knife may be set by the screws at different levels, 

 but always in a plane parallel to the lower guide 

 surface of the plate c D. The workman, taking hold 

 of the handles A, n, applies the notch of the tool at 

 the end of the whalebone blade furthest from him, and 

 with his two hands pulls it steadily along, so as to shave off a slice in the direction 

 of the fibres ; being careful to cut none of them across. These prismatic slips are 

 then dried, and planed level upon their other two surfaces. The fibrous matter 

 detached in this operation, is used, instead of hair, for stuffing mattresses. 



From its flexibility, strength, elasticity, and lightness, whalebone is employed for 

 many purposes ; for ribs to umbrellas or parasols ; for stiffening stays ; for the frame- 

 work of hats, &c. When heated by steam- or a sand-bath, it softens, and may be 

 bent or moulded, like horn, into varioxis shapes, which it retains if cooled under 

 compression. In this way, snuff-boxes, and knobs of walking-sticks, may be made 

 from the thicker parts of the blade. The surface is polished at first with ground 

 pumice-stono, felt, and water ; and finished with dry quicklime spontaneously slaked, 

 and sifted. Whalefins Imported in 1873177 tons ; valued at 64.6182. Exported in 

 1873960 cwts. ; valued at 18,7102. 



WHALE Oil.. See OILS. 



WHARPE. See TRENT SAND. 



WHEAT. Tritictim vulgare, Linn. ; (Froment, Fr. ; Waisen, Ger.) See BREAD, 

 GLUTEN, and STARCH. 



