WATER-PEPPER. 



WAY-GOING CROP. 



seed must not be covered more than 1 or 2 

 inches under ground. Water the hills for a 

 few days until the seed has sprouted, and then 

 leave the plants to run. 



As soon as the plant has got 6 leaves, take 

 off the centre plant with a sharp penknife, and 

 when the lateral shoots are 6 inches or a foot 

 long, take off all but three. When the shoots, 

 thus left, begin to run to the ground- between 

 the hills, stake them down with a small cross- 

 stick. 



As the vines begin to branch, at every 3 or 

 4 feet, where the vine branches, put a shovel- 

 ful of rich earth over the same, and press it 

 down lightly with the foot. Wet weather should 

 be selected for this operation, and by so doing 

 the vines will never fail to take where they 

 have been set. The spaces between the hills 

 should be kept free of grass and by following 

 the above directions, large melons will be pro- 

 duced. 



From a quarter acre of land thus treated, 

 more melons will be made than from four 

 times the amount as usually cultivated. See 

 MKLOX, WATF.H. 



WATER-PEPPER (Polygonum punctatum). 

 A plant found in the Middle and other States, 

 possessing very acrid qualities, causing obsti- 

 nate ulcerative inflammation when applied to 

 the skin. 



WATER-PLANTAIN (Jlisma, from the 

 Celtic alls, water). A genus of pretty little, 

 aquatic, perennial, smooth plants, with simple, 

 entire leaves, and numerous, stalked, white, 

 yellowish or purplish, panicled or umbellate 

 inodorous flowers. In England, there are four 

 native species; viz.: 



1. The greater water-plantain, or thrumwort 

 (A. plantago), which is very common in pools, 

 ditches, and about the margins of rivers. The 

 root is fibrous. Leaves all radical, on long 

 stalks, erect, ovate, acute, ribbed, in deep or 

 running water lengthened out more or less. It 

 has been recommended in hydrophobia; but, 

 like many other wonder-working remedies, it 

 is worthless. 



2. Star-headed water-plantain (jJ. damasoni- 

 um), found in ditches and pools on a gravelly 

 soil, but not common. The root consists of 

 many long pale fibres. The leaves all radical, 

 floating, bluntish or oblong, heart-shaped at the 

 base. Footstalks very broad, with many ribs, 

 and a membranous border, tapering upwards. 

 Flower-stalks scarcely a span high, bearing 

 1 or 2 whorls of white flowers, yellow in the 

 middle. Capsules six, spreading in the form 

 of a star, half-ovate. 



! 3. Floating water-plantain (A. natans). This 

 species frequents the lakes of North Wales 

 and Cumberland. 



4. Lesser water-plantain (A. ranunculoides). 

 This grows in swamps and turfy bogs, but is 

 not a very common species. 



5. Creeping water-plantain (A. repens). This 

 has only been found on the margins of some 

 of the lakes in North Wales. 



WAX (Germ, wachs). . A solid concrete 

 abounding in the vegetable kingdom, whence 

 it is erroneously supposed that it is collected 

 by bees. Bees' wax is a secretion in the body 

 of the bee, and is accumulated in what are 

 138 



called the wax-pockets. Bees confined to a 

 hive, and fed merely on sugar, form wax. It 

 constitutes the partitions of the cells in which 

 they store their honey. It is obtained by melt- 

 ing the comb. Wax, when pure, is of a whit- 

 ish colour; it is destitute of taste, and has 

 scarcely any smell. Bees' wax, indeed, has a 

 pretty strong aromatic odour ; but this seems 

 chiefly owing to some substance with which it 

 is mixed; for it disappears almost completely 

 by exposing the wax, drawn out into thin 

 ribands, for some time to the atmosphere to 

 blanch, frequently changing the surface thus 

 exposed, by remelting it, and reducing it again 

 to thin flakes. By this process, which is called 

 bleaching, the yellow colour of the wax disap- 

 pears. White wax is principally used in mak- 

 ing candles, and in white ointments, for the 

 sake of its colour. Wax is insoluble in water; 

 nor are its properties altered though kept under 

 that liquid. When heat is applied to wax, it 

 becomes soft ; and at the temperature of 142, 

 if unbleached, or of 155, if bleached, it melts 

 into a colourless transparent fluid, which con- 

 cretes again, and resumes its former appear- 

 ance, as the temperature diminishes. If the 

 heat be still further increased, the wax boils 

 and evaporates ; and if a red heat be applied 

 to the vapour, it takes fire and burns with a 

 bright flame. It is this property which renders 

 wax so useful for making candles. Wax com- 

 bines readily with fixed oils when assisted by 

 heat, and forms with them a substance of greater 

 or less consistency, according to the quantity 

 of oil. This composition, which is known by 

 the name of cerate, is much employed by sur- 

 geons. 



According to the experiments of Gay-Lussac 

 and Thenard (Rech. Physico-Chim. vol. ii. p. 316), 

 100 parts of wax are composed of 



Oxygen 

 BfOTOflM 



Carbon 



Parti. 

 5-54 



- 12-67 



- 81-78 



100 



Wax is sometimes adulterated with the white 

 oxide of lead to increase its weight, with white 

 tallow, and with potato starch. The first is 

 detected by melting the wax in hot water, when 

 the oxide falls to the bottom undissolved ; the 

 presence of tallow is indicated by the wax be- 

 ing of a dul) opaque white, and wanting the 

 transparency which distinguishes pure wax; 

 and starch may be detected by applying strong 

 sulphuric acid to the suspected wax, as the 

 acid carbonizes the starch without acting on 

 the wax. 



Notwithstanding the large supply of wax 

 produced in England, a considerable quantity is 

 imported from abroad ; but it is subject to the 

 high duty of 11. 10*. per cwt. The price va- 

 ries, duty included, from 5J. to 101. per cwt. 

 (Thomson's Chem. vol. iv. p. 103 ; Thomson's Dis- 

 pensatory ; M'Culloch's Com. Did.) 



WAX-MOTH. See BKE-MOTH, and PI. 16, g. 



WAY-BREAD. One of the common names 

 of the Common or Great Plantain. 



WAYFARING TREE. See GUELDER ROSE. 



WAY-GOING CROP. That which is taken, 

 from the land the year the tenant leaves a farm. 

 4 z 2 1097 



