110 



GENERAL ADVICE 



dollars a thousand. These take a soft pencil very 

 readily, and if the labels are pulled up in the fall, 

 and stored in a dry place, they will last two 



113. Common zinc tally. 



or three years. For more permanent herba- 

 ceous plants, as rhubarb and asparagus, or even 

 for bushes, a stake which is sawed from clear 

 pine or cypress, eighteen inches long, three inches 

 wide and an inch or more thick, affords a most 

 excellent label. The lower end of the stake is 

 sawed to a point, and is dipped in coal tar or 

 creosote, or other preservative. The top of the 

 stake is painted white, and the legend is written 

 with a large and soft pencil. When the writ- 

 ing becomes illegible or the stake is needed for 

 other plants, a shaving is taken off the face of 

 the label with a plane, a fresh coat of paint 

 added, and the label is as good as ever. These 

 labels are strong enough to withstand shocks from 

 whiffletrees and tools, and should last ten years. 



