See Melon, 



WEA 



WAYFARING-TREE. The guel- 

 der rose. Virburrtnm opulns. 



W E A L D E N FOR.MATION. A 

 portion of the upper secondary, con- 

 sisting of heavy clays and green sand. 

 It is remarkable for the great number 

 of large saurians it contains. 



WEANING. " The means em- 

 ployed to reconcile a young animal to 

 the loss of its mother's milk and ha- 

 bituate it to take common food. The 

 process of weaning calves is vari- 

 ously managed by different farmers. 

 When not let run with the cow, the 

 most advisable mode, as it regards 

 the calf, is to place it loose in a crib, 

 and to suckle it by hand with the 

 mother's new milk, of which it will 

 consume for some time not more 

 than about four quarts per day: the 

 tiously applied, the soil is rendered quantity, however, must then be grad- 

 stitr. It is cooled by the water, and, ually increased, as it will, in the 

 should it want drainage, stagnant course of a few weeks, require as 

 water is accumulated. It should only much as three gallons. If the weath- 

 be done after sunset, and with rain , er be fine, it should be, within a fort- 

 water collected in tanks and exposed ! night or three weeks, turned out dai- 

 to the air. Newly-planted vegetables ly in the orchard, or some well-shel- 

 require waterinsi.' ' tered enclosure of sweet herbage ; 



WATER WHEEL. An engine ' and, as it will in the course often or 

 for raising water in large quantities, twelve weeks have acquired some 

 Also, a wheel turned by the force of relish for the pasture, it may be reg- 

 running water. Of these there are ularly weaned by gradually diminish- 

 two kinds : the undershot u-fieel, and . ing the quantity of milk, and thea 



WAX 



introduced by a hose at c, the tubes 

 for distribution are supported by the 

 rod, d, and the water Hows from the 

 barrel bv e and e. 



WATER MEADOWS. See Irri- 

 gation. 



WATERMELON. 

 Water. 



WATER OF CRYSTALLIZA- 

 TION. Water contained in crvstals. 



WATER PLANTAIN. The genus 

 Alisma, consisting of useless water 

 weeds. 



WATERING PLANTS. The ap- 

 plication of water by the common 

 watering-pot to garden vegetables is 

 not a practice altogether safe or use- 

 ful. Where it is persevered in, and 

 the soil is well worked, it may pro 

 duce good results ; but if not cau 



the overshot irhcel. In the case of 

 the undershot wheel, the water strikes 

 the float boards below the axle, and 

 acts by the impulse due to its veloci- 

 ty ; in the case of the overshot wheel, 

 the water is brought over the top of 



substituting the skimmed for the new. 

 Calves may, however, be reared with 

 skimmed milk and meal, without any 

 portion of new milk except the first 

 few days' biestings, and many per- 

 sons give them nothing but water- 



the wheel, received in buckets, and ! gruel and hay tea within a fortnight 



after they have been removed from 

 the cow. Sago and linseed jelly are 

 also very nutritious, and calves may 

 be weaned on them without any oth- 

 er food. 



" The time of weaning lambs dif- 



acts solelv by its weight. 



WAVELLITE. A mineral of a 

 radiated or stellated character, con- 

 sisting of a hydrated phosphate of 

 alumina. 



WAX. A hydrocarbon, composed 



of C^ H:o Oi. insoluble in water, and ; fers materially, according to the lo- 

 but slightlv affected bv most acids, i cality of the farms and the quality of 



It is obtained from plants and from 

 bees' wax. It is prepared by drain- 

 ing and then washing the honeycomb, 

 and finally melting in hot water. The 

 yellow product is bleached by being 

 run into strips, and exposed to the 

 air until whitened sufficientlv. 

 WAX MOTH. See Bee Moth. 



the pasture. Four months old is 

 about the period usually selected. 



" The lambs should be turned into 

 somewhat better pasture than that to 

 which they had been accustomed, in 

 order to compensate for the loss of 

 the mother's milk. Many farmers 

 are very fanciful as to the provision 



837 



