MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDEN BULLETIN 55 
Crataegus insperata.—A shrub 3-6 feet high. On rocky 
banks of streams, Jasper County, Missouri. 
Crataegus ensifera.—aA tree 15-20 feet high. Along road- 
sides, Christian County, Missouri. 
Crataegus pertomentosa.—A shrub 6-15 feet high. On rocky 
barrens, St. Louis and Jackson Counties, Missouri. 
PLANT LABELS IN USE AT THE MISSOURI BOTAN- 
ICAL GARDEN 
In a botanical garden labels of various materials and de- 
signs are essential for displaying the names and keeping a 
record of the plants. The plants in that portion of the gar- 
den and conservatories always open to the public require labels 
that are permanent and easily read, yet not so conspicuous as 
to spoil the appearance of the plants or plantings. 
A type of label that is used to a considerable extent out- 
doors in summer is the Simplex Weatherproof (pl. 12, No. 1), 
consisting of a standard 18 inches long and a card-holder 
134 x 2%4 inches. The name of the plant is printed with India 
ink on a celluloid card, which, together with a piece of trans- 
parent covering, usually mica, is slipped into the groove of the 
holder. Two holes at the base of the holder earry off any 
moisture that collects in the label. This type of label is neat 
and easily read, but cannot be considered permanent because 
during the winter months soot and moisture accumulate be- 
tween the celluloid and mica, clouding the lettering. 
Number 2, a zine label with an oval face 114 x 23/, inches 
and a standard 6 inches long, is the best general label for 
indoor and outdoor plantings of herbaceous materials. It is 
strong, durable, and permits fairly large lettering that lasts 
the life of the label. Zine labels that have been exposed to 
the weather for many years gradually darken, but if their 
surface is moistened the lettering can be distinguished. Lead 
pencil, India ink, prepared solutions sold by seed firms, and 
chemical inks of various compositions are used for lettering. 
A satisfactory preparation is that used at the Garden, and 
consists of 1 dram copper acetate, 1 dram ammonium chloride, 
Yj dram lampblack, and 10 drams water. The surface of the 
zine should be polished with fine sandpaper or emery cloth 
and the lettering done with a glass stylus, steel pens corrod- 
ing too rapidly. The oval label is the most difficult on which 
