44 
Precipitation Data, June-September, 1919 
| 1919 | Average Greatest | Least 
IN OMOR tralia avignrictitceccu- cases eine 54 AI 70 13 
Precipitation in inches.............. 21.50 15.92 
On account of the excessive precipitation a great deal of extra 
labor and expense was entailed in keeping the lawns mowed. Re- 
calling that to mow the Garden lawns it takes an average of six 
men daily during the summer months, at a cost of about $100 a 
week, it is evident what a drain this one item has been on labor 
and finances. But the grass has seldom before kept so green 
throughout the season. 
The extension of the Iris planting, additions to the rock garden, 
and other new planting are recorded by the curator of plants. 
Labeling —The educational value of the plantations depends 
largely upon their being suitably labeled, and the label problem 
has been one of the most difficult ones that botanic gardens have 
had to solve. A satisfactory label must be easily legible, large 
enough to carry necessary information but not so large as to 
detract from the appearance of the grounds by being too con- 
spicuous, high enough above ground to avoid being splashed with 
mud when it rains; placed so as not to be concealed by the foliage, 
firm enough to not be easily disturbed by the cultivating opera- 
tions of the gardener, attractive in color scheme, pleasing in pro- 
portion and design, easily stored when not in use, not too expen- 
sive to construct and maintain, and above all sufficiently durable 
to resist the weather and especially as effectively as possible the 
depredations of small boys and vandals. The assistant curator, 
Dr. Gundersen, has given a great deal of careful attention to this 
problem and appears to have reached a satisfactory solution of 
the problem. The new label is of metal throughout, consisting 
of a steel upright which supports four steel plates which carry 
the reading matter for four different plants, two on each side, 
raised about one foot above ground. Bed labels are provided by 
larger plates bearing the names of the plant families and borne 
above the individual plant labels on the same upright (Fig. 7). 
The upright extends 18 inches into the ground, and is bent at 
