ODDS AND ENDS. 311 



six gallons of water. Sprinkle the foliage copiously once 

 a week as long as the rainy season continues (these dis- 

 eases being caused by an excess of moisture on the foli- 

 age). If mildew and rot have already developed before 

 this treatment is begun, and threaten loss of leaves or 

 fruit, a ten-per-cent solution of common whitewash applied 

 in the same way will arrest their progress. 



DURABLE LABELS FOR FRUIT TREES. 



The need of some better and more lasting label than the 

 usual wooden one, with the name penciled or printed, for 

 marking trees in nursery and grove has long been sorely 

 felt by the horticulturist; such labels are far from satis- 

 factory, the name being almost invariably faded or washed 

 out in a few months. A tree label, cheap, easily obtained, 

 and indelible, has been eagerly sought for, and here it is : 



Get pieces of sheet zinc, the older and more corroded 

 the better, cut them in strips about an inch wide at one 

 end, tapering to a slender point at the other, and six to 

 eight inches long; then, with a soft, ordinary lead-pencil, 

 write on the wider end the name or number of your tree 

 or bud, with date or any other data desired; wind the 

 slender end of the strip around the stem or trunk. It will 

 unwind of itself as the tree grows, hence never cuts into 

 the bark. The older the label is the more distinct the 

 marks will be, the lead acting chemically on the zinc ; the 

 lettering, plain enough even at first, soon becomes outlined 

 with a fine flour-like substance, and then turns purple. 



This label will last as long as the tree, only needing 

 occasional transfer to a new place, as the stem it clasped 

 at first grows too large for it. The comfort and profit of 

 such a label will be acknowledged by every fruit grower. 



New tin, scratched upon with a sharp awl, answers 

 nearly as well as the zinc, but will not last as long. 



