WIN 



WIN 



WILLOW. The genus Salix, con- 

 taining thirty-five species indigenous 

 to the United States. They are 

 amentaceous and dioecious trees and 

 shiiibs, growing for the most part in 

 swampy lands. The genus includes 

 large trees, as the S. Babylonica, 

 weeping-willow, and some shrubs of 

 only a few inches height. The light \ 

 and elegant appearance of many spe- \ 

 cies have introduced them into shrub- j 

 beries and paries, as the .S'. viiellina, 

 yellow willow ; S. alba, white willow ; 

 .S'. Russelliana, the Leicester or Bed- 

 ford willow : the last is also valua- 

 ble for timber, the tannin of its bark, 

 and the proportion of salicine it con- 

 tains, and is therefore extensively 

 cultivated in England. 



The wood of most of our willows 

 is of no service except for charcoal, 

 and of this they produce a kind pre- 

 ferred for the manufacture of gun- 

 powder. The commonest species are 

 S. nigra, the root of which is very 

 bitter, and used as a domestic medi- 

 cine ; S. luciJa, or shining willow, 

 the twigs of which are used for coarse 

 baskets. The bark of some kinds is 

 used for domestic dyeing, and produ- 

 ces a yellowish red colour. In the 

 north of Europe the .S'. alba is put to 

 a variety of purposes : the bark is 

 employed for tanning and dyeing, and 

 the leaves and young shoots used as 

 fodder, both in the fresh and dried 

 state. See Osier, for basket willows ; 

 also Sallow. Nearly all the species 

 are readily propagated by cuttings 

 placed in a moist soil or well watered. 



WILLOW HERB. The genus 

 Epilobium, perennial herbs, growing 

 in wet soils : a few are cultivated 

 for their flowers. 



WILLOW LICE. Aphidians, plant 

 lice. 



WILLOW W E E D. An annual 

 weed. Polygonum lapathifolium, grow- 

 ing in wet, light, arable lands. The 

 seed resembles a small buckwheat ; 

 they are relished by birds and hogs. 



WINCH. A bent or rectangular 

 handle for turning an axis, attached 

 to grindstones, the windlass, and 

 other machiiHis. 



WIND. The motion of large por- 

 804 



tions of atmospheric air. It occurs 

 with a velocity differing from a few 

 miles to sixty or more miles the min- 

 ute. The origin of winds is usually 

 referred to the unequal temperature 

 imparted to the earth's surface by the 

 sun ; this not only varies with the 

 latitude, but with the elevation, geo- 

 logical character, and extent of wa- 

 ter, and, secondly, to the sudden con- 

 densation of large quantities of its 

 vapour. The excess in expansion of 

 the air produced at any place causes 

 an upward current, which affects the 

 bulk of air lying around, and gener- 

 ates a motion from all points to the 

 centre. In seeking the centre, the 

 motion is spiral or centripetal, ac- 

 cording to the best theories. Winds 

 are of interest to the farmer from the 

 meteoric effects they produce, as 

 rain, snow, frost, increase of the 

 drying power, and hail. A body of 

 air in motion increases the evapora- 

 tion of water from the land and plants 

 even to double the extent of the or- 

 dinary action at the same tempera- 

 ture ; this increases their coldness, 

 and may produce frost even during a 

 mild season ; in hot, dry weather, 

 plants wither more rapidly during 

 windy weather. For this reason, 

 tender plants require shelter from 

 rough winds. Tiie character of any 

 wind is dependant upon the country 

 over which it passes ; those which 

 sweep over hundreds of miles of the 

 sea or lakes are usually surcharged 

 with moisture, and produce rain if 

 they pass into a northern region, as 

 in the case of our southwestern 

 storms. Winds which sweep over 

 hot, dry deserts become simooms ; 

 their contact withers vegetation in a 

 few minutes. So winds produce 

 coldness which come from snowy 

 districts, and warmth when they coime 

 from the south. The study of the 

 peculiarities of every wind, and the 

 season of its prevalence, is to the 

 farmer one of the most important ob- 

 jects, and, taken in connexion with 

 the fluctuations of the barometer and 

 thermometer, will after a time enable 

 him to foretell rain for many hours 

 before its appearance. 



