VIOLET. 



WALNUT TREE. 



with water, it is an excellent cooling and invi- 

 gorating substance when employed for spong- 

 ing the body, especially in febrile conditions 

 of it : its vapour inhaled with the vapour of hot 

 water relieves hoarseness ; and, when mode- 

 rately diluted, it forms an excellent gargle in 

 inflamed or sore throats. See ACIDS and PY- 



HOLIGNEOUS Adi). 



VIOLET (Viola'). All the species of this 

 genus deserve to be cultivated, either for the 

 beauty or the scent of their flowers. The spe- 

 cies natives of America thrive best in vegeta- 

 ble mould or peat, and are readily increased 

 by parting the roots or by seeds. There are 8 

 native species of violet in England, and, ac- 

 cording to Schweinitz, 29 in the United States. 



VIOLET, AMERICAN (Erythronium Ameri- 

 canum). Sometimes called Dog's-tooth violet. 

 This verj. pretty plant is found throughout 

 the Atlantic States on the lowest alluvial 

 banks of sureams, and in most moist places, 

 where it puts forth its beautiful violet flowers 

 in April and May. It has a perennial bulbous 

 root, rather deep in the ground. Among other 

 American species of the violet enumerated by 

 botanists, is the white violet (E. albidum), found 

 throughout the Western States and Territories, 

 in Upper Louisiana, and on the banks of the 

 Missouri, where no other species appears to 

 exist. There appears to be a yellow-flowered 

 species confounded with this white species, 

 and nearly allied to it. 



VIPER'S BUGLOSS. See HONEY, Ciniak. 



W. 



WAGES. The price or hire paid to labour- 

 ers or servants for performing different sorts 

 of farm work. 



These differ greatly in different districts and 

 situations, and according to the character and 

 employment of the workmen, but in all they 

 are considerably increased within the last 15 

 or 20 years. They may perhaps be stated as 

 varying, in England, under different circum- 

 stances, from 9s. to 18s. by the week, and from 

 9J. to 15?. or 18/. by the vear. 



WAGON. A wheel-carriage, of which there 

 are several varieties, accommodated to the dif- 

 ferent uses which they are intended to serve. 



In the business of husbandry, wagons con- 

 structed in different forms, and of various di- 

 mensions, are made use of in different districts 

 or parts of the kingdom ; and mostly without 

 much attention to the nature of the roads, or the 

 articles which are to be conveyed by them; 

 being in general heavy, clumsy, and incon- 

 venient. There is, however, a wagon much 

 employed in Berkshire, England, which is 

 constructed on a more simple and convenient 

 principle than those mostly met with in the 

 other southern parts of the island, not having 

 the height or weight of them, while it possesses 

 sufficient strength, and is easy in the draught. 



Wagons require more power in the draught 

 than carts, which is certainly an objection, 

 though they carry a much greater load, and are 

 far from being so handy and convenient ; and 

 Mr. Parkinson is of opinion, that more work 

 1083 



may be done in any particular time, with the 

 same number of horses, by carts than by wa- 

 gons, in the general run of husbandry busi- 

 ness, especially where the distance is small be- 

 tween loading and unloading; a fact which 

 has long been known and attended to in Scot- 

 land. 



Where wagons are used for husbandry, they 

 should be made wide and low. Manures may 

 be carried in this sort of wagon almost as 

 well as in carts. Broad wheels are improper 

 for passing and repassing upon tillage lands ; 

 for, if in fallow, they press the land too much, 

 and make it so hard as to prevent its being 

 ploughed till wet comes ; but on grass land 

 broad wheels are proper for all uses, as there 

 they operate as rollers. 



Wagons are probably the best conveyances 

 for different sorts of heavy loads to a distance ; 

 but for home business, especially harvest and 

 other work, which requires to be speedily per- 

 formed in the field, carts with proper shelving 

 will be found preferable. See CAHT and 

 HIGHWAY. 



WAIN. A name applied to an ox cart, 

 without any side rails, or ladders, in some dis 

 tricts in England; but in others shelvings are 

 added, and the body is large and open. They 

 are rarely met with at present. In Gloucester- 

 shire they adapt them to harvest work by fixing 

 ladders and rathes on them. In the lower part 

 of the vale they are called dungpots but in the 

 forest districts, where drawn by oxen, wains. 



WALNUT TREE (Juglans, from Join's glans; 

 literally the nut of Jove). All the species of 

 the ornamental genus to which the well-known 

 walnut tree belongs are tall, stately-growing 

 trees, well adapted for parks and lawns. They 

 grow freely in any rich loamy soil, and are 

 raised from seeds. This deciduous tree was 

 formerly held in great esteem in England for 

 its wood, which is often very finely veined; 

 but, on account of its aptness to be worm- 

 eaten, it has long since given place to the ma- 

 hogany. As a fruit tree, independent of its 

 timber, which is still of much value, it merits 

 attention, and it is also useful as an ornamental 

 tree. There are several species capable of 

 being cultivated with advantage both for their 

 wood and fruit; as the common walnut, the 

 white walnut, and the black walnut tree. 



The common walnut (/. regia) is a very 

 large and lofty tree, which has strong spread- 

 ing boughs. The leaves are pinnate, with a 

 very strong but not unpleasant smell ; the leaf- 

 lets 3 pairs (sometimes 2 or 4), nearly equal, 

 except that the odd one is largest ; they are en- 

 tire, smooth, and shining. The male flowers 

 are in close, pendulous, subterminating fila- 

 ments; the females scattered, frequently 2 or 

 3 together. Fruit an ovate, coriaceous, smooth 

 drupe, inclosing an irregularly grooved nut, 

 which contains a four-lobed, oily, eatable ker- 

 nel, with an irregular knobbed surface, and 

 covered with a yellow skin. This tree is a 

 native of Persia. 



It has been noticed by Martyn, " that as they 

 all vary again when raised from the seed, and 

 that as nuts from the same tree will produce 

 different fruit, those who plant the walnut for 

 its fruit should make choice of the trees in the 



