NUMBER STICKS. 



331 NUMBER TALLIES OP METAL. 



Number Sticks. 



Supposing that a register of plants, 

 varieties of plants, trees, &c, is made 

 and kept, it is desirable to consider here 

 by what means of a simple character sticks 

 bearing numbers corresponding to the 

 register may be prepared, so that they 

 may be placed close to the plants, &c., 

 which the numbers indicate. It may be 

 said at once that number sticks suitable 

 for the purpose may be bought of the 

 nurserymen in bundles of 100 each, with 

 the face of each rubbed over with white 

 paint, at from 6<L per bundle upwards, 

 according to size. Sticks, however, of a 

 very small size, such as are sold at 6d. 

 per 100, although large enough for pot 

 culture, are not of sufficient length for 



5471 



NUMBER STICK. 



setting in the open ground, and should 

 not be purchased for this purpose. For 

 cheapness' sake it is better to get a bundle 

 of laths from the lath-render, and to cut 

 these up into lengths varying from 5 to 

 10 inches long, and to smooth the face 

 or front and sharpen the point, as shown 

 in the accompanying illustration. The 

 upper part on both sides should then be 

 well rubbed over with white lead, or 

 dressed with white paint, and the num- 

 ber written on the face with a tolerably 

 hard lead pencil, cut to a broad point. 

 The bottom of the stick should then be 

 dipped in coal tar, or painted with a com- 

 position made of boiled linseed oil, 

 thickened by the introduction of finely 

 powdered coal dust, until it is brought to 

 the consistency of thick cream. Number 

 sticks prepared in this way will last for a 

 considerable time. It is possible, how- 

 ever, that it may be desired to make 

 Dumber sticks which shall be more 



durable than those just described, and 

 on which the numbers may be marked 

 in such a way as to render them incapable 

 of obliteration by any other means than 

 that of cutting them away or destroying 

 the stick. When slicks of this kind are 

 needed they should be made of red deal, 

 or even of oak, and the numbers burnt in 

 with hot irons, in the same way as the 

 names of their owners are marked on tools 

 and other things. Small branding irons 

 of this kind, if not procurable of an iron- 

 monger, are easily made by a smith, and 

 with ten of them, for the nine figures and 

 cypher, any combination representing any 

 number, however high, may be made. 

 When the number has been indelibly 

 burnt into the wood the top of the stick 

 may be painted white, and the end that 

 is to enter the earth painted with boiled oil 

 and coal dust, dipped in tar, or even 

 charred at pleasure, or the whole of the 

 stick may be dressed over with the oil 

 and coal dust, for as the number is burnt 

 in it will be easily deciphered whatever 

 may be the colour of the stick itself. 



Number Tallies of Metal. 



The same end may be attained in the 

 case of trees and 

 shrubs by stamp- 

 ing numbers on 

 small pieces of 

 lead or zinc used 

 as tallies, or even 

 on pieces of 

 tinned iron, ob- , 

 tained by cutting 

 up old cans in 

 which tinned 

 meats have been 

 preserved. Stamps 



for impressing the FIG - i- METAL TALLY AT- 

 TACHED TO BRANCH. 



numbers on the 



metal must be obtained, and the pieces 



when stamped must have a hole punched 



