GABDEN MAKING 



143 



in the row depends somewhat upon the habit of the plant. 

 Plants with long narrow leaves, like salsify or onion, may stand 

 closer than those with broad, spreading 

 leaves, like turnip and parsnip. The main 

 consideration should be to see that one 

 plant does not unduly shade another. 



Labels. All planted seeds should be prop- 

 erly labeled, partly as a matter of record and 

 partly to indicate their whereabouts until 

 the young plants are large enough to be 

 seen. Older plants should also be labeled, 

 especially if there are several varieties of 

 the same species cultivated, or if other 

 plants are grown that might be mistaken 

 for them. The best label for temporary 

 purposes is a wooden stake painted white. 

 Such labels can be purchased from seeds- 

 men at small cost. Those six inches long 

 and about three quarters of an inch wide 

 are about the right size, though smaller or 

 larger ones may be had. On a label of this 

 kind, words written with a pencil will be 

 legible for years, though splashed with dirt 

 by every passing storm. For more perma- 

 nent labels, however, it is desirable to use a 

 piece of galvanized-iron wire about fifteen 

 inches long with a coil at the upper end to 

 which a small label is attached. These small 

 labels, called tree labels, may be obtained at 

 slight expense. When more than one word 

 is to go on a label, the first word is written 

 near the top and lengthwise of it, and the second word is written 

 under the first and further from the top. This insures that, as 

 the label becomes less legible in course of time, there will be no 



FIG. 103. Two forms 

 of labels 



The one on the right is 

 the common garden or 

 pot label ; the other is 

 a more permanent form 

 for marking plants in 

 the borders 



