WAS 



WAT 



flax, especially when the warp is of 

 a good depth. 



" The principal expense in warping 

 is the sluice, and the canal throuiih 

 which the water is conducted over 

 the land ; the longer this latter is, 

 the slower the i)rocess, as much warp 

 is deposited in tlie canal, which has 

 sometimes to be dug out. Accurate 

 levels must be taken, or much ex- 

 pense may be incurred uselessly, if 

 the water will not cover the surface 

 to a sufficient depth. 



"It is of little consequence what 

 the soil was originally, for a new soil 

 is deposited over it. It should, how- 

 ever, not be too wet nor marshy : a 

 porous soil is best, as this becomes 

 the subsoil. All the inequalities which 

 existed before are obliterated by the 

 warping, which tills up all cavities, 

 and leaves a perfectly level surface." 



WARREN. A place in which rab- 

 bits or other game are preserved, or 

 in which they are naturally found. 



WASH. The fermented liquor 

 from which the spirit is distilled. 



WASHER. In building, a plate of 

 iron set between a wall and timber, 

 and the nut of a screw. 



WASPS. The genus Vespa: the 

 F. crabro is the hornet. They are in- 



jurious to agriculture, inasmuch as 

 they destroy bees and eat fruits, es- 

 pecially grapes, and those of thin 

 skins. The greater number die at 

 the approach of winter, only a few 

 females surviving in the nests. 



WATER. That of rivers and wells 

 is impure, from containing mineral 

 matters drawn from the soil. Melted 

 snow and rain water are purer, but 

 contain ammonia, gases, and a small 

 amount of salts. It is only to be ob- 

 tained pure by frequent distillation, 

 and then consists of one equivalent 

 of hydrogen and one of oxygen, or 

 one part by weight of the former and 

 eight of the latter. Its influence on 

 vegetables need not be dwelt upon. 



W\\TER CHESTNUT. The Scir- 

 pus tubcrosus, a rush cultivated in Chi- 

 na and Italy for its root, which resem- 

 bles a chestnut. It grows in ponds 

 and ditches. 



WATER-CRESS. See Cress. 



WATERING CART. This is no 

 more than a common barrel, of large 

 size, set on a cart or on wheels {Fig.), 

 and furnished with a tin tube, a, bored 

 with numerous holes, for the distribu- 

 tion of water. A valve, b, is placed be- 

 tween the distributing tubes and the 

 interior of the barrel. The water is 



836 



