Book III. IMPLEMENTS OF GARDENING. 281 



placed after the notches, so as to form the intermediate terms of the series. Fifty, 

 instead of five notches, is formed by a cross cut, or channel, like I, on the face, with a 

 similar one on the right side joined to it. One hundred is formed by joining to these 

 two cuts a similar cut on the other side, that is a channel continued on three sides; and 

 one hundred and fifty, by a cut or channel continued on the four sides of the stick. 

 Ninety may be more readily formed by using the mark for one hundred, and placing a 

 notch behind it, to signify 100 less 10, than using the cuts for fifty, and adding four 

 notches before. Other high numbers may be simplified in the same manner. A little 

 reflection will show that this mode of numbering may be carried to almost any extent • 

 and in some nurseries, particularly in Scotland, we have known it carried as far as five 

 hundred, which is formed by only three rings for 150 x 3 = 450, and a half ring for 50. 

 Particular attention must always be had to read from the root, or insertion end. 



1378. Setons botanic tally {figs. 161. to 165.) is a highly improved method of 

 numbering, devised by Alexander and George, sons of the late Dr. Anderson. It proceeds 

 upon the same general principles as that above, but with different marks, the ten cyphers 

 (Jig. 162.) being denoted by as many single distinct cuts of easy and expeditious exe- 

 cution ; and any number, however high, requiring no more marks than it would require 

 figures written with a pen. 



1379. As an example of application, the number 590 (fig. 161.) may be referred to. 

 " The only way in which the memory is apt to misgive, in this scheme, is by confounding 

 / & \, /\ & [v, A & V> with each other, (as a child would confound the figures 6 

 and 9,) but this slight inconvenience will be remedied by the following key, which may be 

 easily borne in the mind. Let us recollect that, in writing, we naturally draw a stroke 

 from the right, at top, to the left, at bottom, thus / , and not in the opposite direction, 

 thus \ : now, in all the above numbers, which differ from each other in the direction of 

 the diagonal line, that which is in the direction usual in writing precedes the other, 



thus / \ ^ N A A; the other two, A & V> will not be confounded, on recol- 



236789 45 



lecting that V * s the usual numeral notation of five. 



In order to express the numbers which refer to a botanical catalogue, a practice of great use to every cul- 

 tivating botanist, " we cut the stick in the form of a prism of four sides, whereof one is narrower than the 

 rest ; or of a triangle, with one of the angles cut off A transverse section of the tally should be a 

 truncate triangle. {Jig. 162. a) On the narrowest side, notch the number corresponding with that of 

 the genus, in the catalogue. Its being rather more easy to cut the numbers on the smaller than on the 

 larger surface, is the reason for preferring the former for the genus, the number of which js, in most cases, 

 greater than that of the species. On the opposite and wider side, put the number of the species ; and if 

 there be a variety, put it on one of the intermediate sides. By this simple method, in going over the 

 garden with the catalogue in our hand, we can see at once the genus, species, and variety of any plant 

 we wish to look for ; and in putting in plants, we have always the means ready at hand of placing 

 the numbers with them, without the apparatus of whitened tallies, with ink, blacking, or any or those 

 troublesome expedients in common use. The sticks themselves, which may be painted of a dark color, 

 and kept always at hand, are, besides, less conspicuous and unsightly than the usual large white marks 

 with writing on them, and they are not so easily effaced." {Hort. Trans, vol. ii. p. 348, 349.) 



1380. The ivritten number-stick (figs. 166. to 170.) varies in form, size, and materials. 

 The first sort (fig. 166.) is a flat piece of lath, smoothed and pointed with the knife, and 

 either painted, or more commonly rubbed on the face with white lead at the time of 

 using, and numbers corresponding with those of genus, species, and varieties are written 

 on it with a lead pencil. Sometimes types and printers' ink are used : when the paint is 

 dry, common ink, or black paint is also made use of ; and in some cases the number is 

 impressed by a cold type, or burnt in by one heated to redness. A little white lead 

 rubbed on with the finger, and the name immediately written with a hard black lead 

 pencil, will last as long as the wood, and is on the whole the best mode. Various sizes 

 are used ; from laths formed with the knife three inches long, and half an inch broad, to 

 pieces sawed out of deal, two or three inches broad, and from eighteen inches to three 

 feet long ; the upper part painted white, and lower part pitched, charred, or coated with 

 some preservative liquid, for durability. With respect to materials, fir deal is most 

 commonly used, but oak boards, or old oak spokes are occasionally made use of in 

 botanic gardens. Cast-iron is also used, and found by nurserymen to be in the end the 

 most economical. Earthenware, hoop-iron, lead, and copper have been tried. The general 

 form in all these cases, is a parallelogram pointed at the insertion end, and somewhat 

 rounded at the other. To detect stealing, or mark appropriation, the nt me of the proprietors 

 or of the garden may be cast on the back of all lead, or cast-iron, or earthenware 

 naming-instruments. 



1381. The stamped nnmbering-instrument is formed in various ways; the simplest and 

 most economical is that of triangular slips of lead dipt or stampt from sheet-lead of 4lbs. 

 to a superficial foot ; and for plants in pots, they need not be longer than three inches, 

 nor broader at the head than half an inch. On these the number is stamped with a type, 

 or the name at length may be stamped in the same manner. Such tallies are durable, 

 unobtrusive, and not so readily driven out of pots as those of wood ; for herbaceous plants 

 they may be of double size and weight. 



