THE HANDLING OF THE PLANTS 



155 



7 



177. The common 

 stake label. 



For vegetables, annuals, and other temporary plants, the best 

 labels are simple stakes, like that shown in Fig. 177. Garden 

 stakes a foot long, an inch wide, and three-eighths inch thick 

 may be bought of label manufacturers for 

 three to five dollars a thousand. These take 

 a soft pencil very readily, and if the labels are 

 taken up in the fall and stored in a dry place, 

 they will last two or three years. 



For more permanent herbaceous plants, as 

 rhubarb and asparagus, or even for bushes, a 

 stake that 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 writing 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. 



Whenever a legend is written with a lead 

 pencil, it is advisable to use the pencil when 

 the paint (which should be white lead) is still 

 fresh or soft. Figure 178 shows a very good device for preserv- 

 ing the writing on the face of the label. A block of wood is 

 secured to the label by means of a screw, covering the legend 

 completely and protecting it from the weather. 



If more ornamental stake labels are desired, various types can 

 be bought in the market, or one can be made after the fashion 

 of Fig. 179. This is a zinc plate that can be painted black, on 



178. A good stake 

 label, with the leg- 

 end covered. 



