44 LUTHER BURBANK 



It is desirable to make the label stakes of 'soft, 

 smooth redwood or other durable wood. In the 

 East the locust is an excellent substitute. It is 

 advantageous to dip the lower end of the stake in 

 carbolic acid or in a solution of sulphate of copper 

 to prevent decay. These stakes may be used over 

 and over again for many years, being planed off 

 as the occasion requires and repainted. 



Many thousands of these label stakes are used 

 each season on my experiment grounds. For 

 smaller beds I use a stake usually 1 inch wide, 

 from % to % of an inch thick, and from 10 to 

 14 inches in length. These smaller plant stakes 

 may be purchased of dealers, and are prepared 

 for use in the same way as the larger ones. 



For use on trees a special label is employed, 

 to make records of budding, grafting, and varia- 

 tion. This label is usually 5 or 6 inches long, 

 and from 3-16 to % f an ' inc ^ thick. It is 

 notched on both edges at one end and attached 

 to the branch of a tree with a piece of pliable 

 galvanized iron wire. The wire should be loose 

 enough to avoid any danger of strangling the 

 branch. 



The labels are painted with white lead. They 

 sometimes remain upon the trees for five, ten, or 

 even fifteen years. To inscribe these permanent 

 labels, I use a thick black paint, composed of a 



