618 WASTE. 
take to flight, it flies off apparently uninjured 
from the conflict. These partial attacks of single 
wasps, however, are of little moment, farther 
than that they are, perhaps, exploratory; it is 
when they come in a body that the safety of the 
hive is endangered; in such cases the utmost 
care of the bee-master is often unavailing. The 
wily insects soon discover the weakness of any 
particular hive in point of population, and, acting 
on this discovery, attack it in such numbers, 
that nothing but its removal can save it from 
speedy and utter destruction.’ There is perhaps 
no effectual means of preventing the inroads of 
an enemy of such superior strength, and seemingly 
so insensible to the only weapons of offence which 
bees can employ. But we have known instances 
in which much good has been done by diminish- 
ing the size of the entrance-hole almost to the 
dimensions of a bee’s body, and forming a narrow 
covered way to some distance without it: only 
one wasp can thus make its approach at a time, 
its movements are impeded, and the defence more 
easily made good.” 
WASTE. The demolition or unlawful removal 
of any structure or part of a structure which has 
in law the character of a fixture. See the article 
FIXTURES. 
WASTE LAND. Land which is incapable of 
cultivation till it be reclaimed and improved. It 
comprises many kinds, from mountain to marsh, 
and from inland downs to sea-beech sands,—and 
many gradations from bare rock to tangled brush- 
wood, from absolute sterility to comparative pro- 
ductiveness, and from the scantiest and shallowest 
pastoral soil to deep, easily improvable, and con- 
stitutionally rich land, of texture suitable for 
tillage. 
According to the evidence of Mr. Cowling 
before the Emigration Committee in 1827, Eng- 
land contains 3,454,000 uncultivated acres and 
3,256,000 unprofitable acres, Wales 530,000 un- 
cultivated acres and 1,105,000 unprofitable 
acres, Scotland 5,950,000 uncultivated acres and 
8,523,930 unprofitable acres, Ireland, 4,900,000 
uncultivated acres and 2,416,664 unprofitable 
acres, and the small British Islands 166,000 un- 
cultivated acres and 569,469 unprofitable acres. 
A law enacted in the second year of Edward 
VI. says, “that all such barren heath or waste 
ground, which before that time had lain barren, 
and paid no tithe by reason of the same barren- 
ness, and now or henceforth shall be improved 
and converted into arable ground or meadows, 
shall from henceforth, after the end and term of 
seven years after such improvement fully ended 
and determined, pay tithe for the corn and hay 
growing upon the same ;” and this law gave rise to 
conflicting opinions and angry litigations, and 
came generally to be interpreted with a decided 
leaning to the ecclesiastics, but was at last, after 
a long-contested suit, decided by three different 
juries to mean that “ where the first crop shall be 
inadequate to pay the whole cost of cultivation, 
WASTE LAND. 
lime, &c., tithes are not payable for the succeeding 
seven years.” 
Mountainous, hilly, and steep waste grounds, 
clothed with dwarf or stunted heath, and also all 
other kinds of waste grounds clothed with heath, 
are discussed in the article Hearus; mountain- 
ous, hilly, and steep waste grounds, possessing a 
thin soil, and producing a short dry herbage, in 
the article Pasture; mountainous, hilly, and 
steep waste grounds, capable of most econo- 
mical improvement by planting, in the articles 
‘Priantation, Puantine, Coppicr, and ORCHARD ; 
moorish waste lands, in the articles Moor and 
Hzatus; boggy and morassy waste lands, in the 
articles Boa, Prat, Fen, Marsu, and Morass; 
meadowy waste lands, in the articles Mrapow, 
Irrigation, and Grass Lanps; calcareous and 
drifting waste lands, in the article Downs; and 
waste lands subject to inundation by the freshets 
of rivers and the tides of estuaries, in the articles 
EMBANKMENT, CommMaTA, and Warpine or Lanp. 
Some of the causes and indications of the most 
common kinds of sterility in waste lands are 
noticed in the article BARREN Sorns; some gene- 
ral remarks on the reclaiming and fertilizing of 
waste lands occur in the article IupRovnEMENT or | 
Lanp; and the principal arts and practices ne- 
cessary for the reclamation of waste lands are 
discussed in the articles DRAINING, PARING AND 
Burnine, Sussoit-Proventne, Enctosurn, Lime, 
Manure, Fariow, Stronr, Roriine, Fern, Furze, 
Hearus, Bog, and IRRIGATION. 
The following rules respecting the improve- 
ment of waste lands are propounded by Sir John 
Sinclair :-—“ 1. Not to put in practice any scheme 
of improvement, without the fullest deliberation, 
nor without the command of an adequate capi- 
tal. 2. Not to begin on too great a scale, nor 
until, by experience it be found, that the design 
is suitable to the soil, situation, and climate. 
3, When the intention is to cultivate bogs, or 
peat mosses, not to begin cropping, till at least 
one season after the drains are completed, and 
the soil thoroughly reclaimed from superfluous 
moisture. In bogs abounding with fluid matter 
(flow mosses), a longer time is necessary. 4. To 
plough or delve peat-moss in autumn, that it 
may first be effectually exposed to the winter 
frost and rains, and not to the summer’s heat, 
which would harden it, and prevent its decom- 
position. 5. Whatever is done, to do it effec- 
tually ; not to think of laying on four acres, the 
manure necessary for three, nor the lime, chalk, 
earth, clay, sand, or gravel, upon two acres, that 
should be employed in covering only one. 6. To 
carry on the improvement of waste lands, with- 
out encroaching upon the dung necessary for the 
improved part of a farm, as dung ought never to 
be brought from a good soil, to lay upon a bad 
one. Unless dung therefore can be procured 
from a neighbouring town or village, it will be 
better to leave the lands in their natural state, 
except in cases, where the soil, by being pared, 
