488 



HENDERSON'S HANDBOOK OF PLANTS 



WAL 



strictly belongs to the trained landscape en- 

 gineer. As well might he expect the average 

 bricklayer, working for two or three dollars 

 per day, to plan and supervise the erection of 

 his dwelling-house as the average gardener, 

 to whom he pays $50 or $60 a month, to lay 

 out his carriage drives and lawn ; for the one 

 is oftentimes equally as much a matter of 

 taste and skill as the other. In suburban 

 residences, where the house is not more than 

 a hundred feet or so from the street, a drive 

 is best made by having an entrance at each 

 side of the lot, so that the carriage can enter 

 at one gate and go out at the other, presuming 

 that the width of the ground is 500 feet, and 

 the distance from the street to the front door is 

 150 feet. Then the foot-walk should be in a 

 straight line direct from the street to the front 

 door. The width of the roads or walks must be 

 governed by the extent of the grounds. For 

 the carriage-way the width should not be less 

 than ten feet, and for foot-walks five feet. 

 Often gardens of considerable pretensions 

 have the walks not more than three feet wide, 

 where it is utterly impossible for two persons 

 to walk abreast without getting their dresses 

 torn or faces scratched by overhanging 

 branches. Of course, it is another matter 

 when the garden plot is limited to the width 

 of a city lot (25 or 50 feet), then such economy 

 of space is perfectly excusable. The character 

 of the soil must in a great measure determine 

 the manner of making the walk or road. Every 

 one must have noticed that, after a heavy 

 rain, unpaved streets in some districts remain 

 next to impassible for many hours, while in 

 others, after the same amount of rainfall, they 

 are comparatively dry. This is entirely due 

 to the nature of the subsoil, which, if gravelly 

 or sandy, will quickly allow the water to pass 

 off; if, however, the subsoil is of clay, then 

 provision must be made for ample drainage, 

 else, no matter of what material the walk or 

 road is composed, unless the water passes 

 through it or off it rapidly, it will never be 

 satisfactory. 



Wall-Cress. The genus Arabia. 



Wall Fern. Polypodium vulgare. 



Wall Flower. See Cheiranthua. 

 Fairy. Erysimum pumilum. 

 Western. Erysimum Arkansanum. 

 Alpine. Erysimum ochroleucum. 



Walli'chia. Named after Dr. Nathaniel Wallich, 

 Superintendent of the Botanical Garden, Cal- 

 cutta, and author of several valuable works on 

 Indian plants. Nat. Ord. Palmacece. 



A small genus of dwarf, tufted, stove-house 

 palms, natives of the East Indies. W. caryo- 

 toides and W. densijlora are both in cultivation, 

 and require a strong, rich soil and a warm, 

 moist temperature. They are increased by 

 seeds when procurable, or by gradually sepa- 

 rating the suckers so as to allow them to make 

 sufficient root before they are quite detached. 



Wall-Pennywort. A common name for Coty- 

 ledon umbillicus. 



Wall-Pepper. A name given to Sedum acre. 



Wall-Rue. The popular name of Asplenium 

 liuta-muraria. 



Walnut. The common name of Juglans regia. 



Walnut. Black. Juylans nigra. 



Wandering Jew. A common name for Trades- 



WAR 



cantia zebrina (see Zebrina) ; also applied to 

 Saxifraga sarmentosa. 



Wanghee, Whangee. The names given to some 

 Eastern canes ; species of Phyllostachys, im- 

 ported in large quantities for the manufacture 

 of walking-sticks. 



Waratah. See Telopia speciossima. 



Wardian Case. This is a neat contrivance, 

 used for such plants as require a moist, still 

 atmosphere, such as Ferns, Mosses, the 

 so-called "insect-eating" plants, as Nepen- 

 thes, Sarracenias, Dionceas, etc., or tropical 

 plants grown for the beauty of their leaves, 

 as Dracaenas, Crotons, Marantas, Caladiuma, 

 etc. The Wardian Case has a base or tray 

 made of Black Walnut, Oak or other ornamen- 

 tal wood about six inches deep and lined with 

 zinc, and glass sides and hinged top ; or the 

 tray is made of terra cotta or other earthen- 

 ware. They are made of various sizes, the 

 average, however, being about twenty-four 

 inches long and sixteen inches in width and 

 height. They should be elevated on a stand 

 to a height that will allow its contents to be 

 best seen, as the plants used for that purpose 

 should be such as will bear the closest inspec- 

 tion for richness of shading or curious con- 

 struction of leaves. When the Wardian Case 

 is first filled with plants, it should bo given 

 water sufficient to reach to the bottom of the 

 soil, but not enough to make the soil too wet. 

 The top of the case is hinged, so that it can 

 be lifted to allow the escape of moisture, 

 which, when in excess when the case is closed, 

 will be known by its trickling down the sides 

 of the glass. Usually it will be sufficient to 

 raise the lid an inch or so every day or two to 

 keep the glass free from this moisture ; and 

 no ventilation is necessary except to get rid 

 of this excess, as the closer it is kept the 

 better it is for the welfare of the peculiar 

 class of plants suited for it. The effectiveness 

 of the Wardian Case depends a great deal on 

 the arrangement of the plants, the tallest and 

 most conspicuous being in the centre, with 

 the smallest towards the edges, varying the 

 interest on all sides of it by contrasting the 

 different colorings and forms of the leaves. 

 The Wardian .Case should be placed in a 

 position where it does not get the direct sun- 

 light. The plants with which it is usually 

 filled are natives of shady woods or marshes, 

 where they are sheltered from winds and in 

 partial shade, and the nearer tlu-ir natural 

 condition can be imitated in the Wardian Case 

 the better. Ferneries, so called, require sub- 

 stantially the same character* of plants and 

 the same treatment, the only real difference 

 being that they are round, and the glass 

 covering is what is known as a bell glass. 



Wa'rrea. Named after F. Warre, a botanical 

 collector. Nat. Ord. Orchidacew. 



A small genus of Orchids from Central and 

 South America, resembling Maxillaria. They 

 are of neat habit, and produce their showy 

 flowers freely. W. cyanea is remarkable for 

 the deep blue color of its lip, pure blue being 

 rarely found among Orchids. This genus 

 succeeds best in pots in leaf-mould and sphag- 

 num moss. They require no rest, and may 

 be grown in a moderately warm house. 



Warszewicze'lla. A genus of Orchidacece, now 

 included under Zygopetalum. 



