192 HORTICULTURIST'S RULE-BOOK. 



A good label for grounds which are cultivated by horses, and 

 which are therefore likely to be broken by the whiffletrees, is 

 a pine stake 2 feet long, 3*- inches wide, and l\ inches thick, 

 sawed to a taper at the lower end. Give them two coats of thin 

 white lead, taking care not to pile them on their faces whils't 

 drying. Make the record with a soft large lead-pencil. When 

 the writing wears off, or the label is wanted for other uses, 

 plane a shaving off the face, paint again and it is as good as new. 



To PRESERVE WOODEN LABELS. Thoroughly soak the pieces 

 of wood in a strong solution of copperas (sulphate of iron) ; 

 then lay them, after they are dry, in lime-water. This causes 

 the formation of sulphate of lime, a very insoluble salt, in the 

 wood. 



BLACK INK FOR ZINC LABELS. Verdigris, 1 ounce ; sal am- 

 moniac, 1 ounce ; lampblack, I ounce ; rain water, \ pint. Mix 

 in an earthenware mortar or jar and put up in small bottles. 

 To be shaken before use and used with a clean quill pen on 

 bright zinc. 



8. To Preserve Posts in the Ground. 



Dip them in hot coal-tar. 



Char them. 



Use the copperas solution mentioned above for labels. 



Into boiled linseed oil stir pulverized coal until the mixture 

 is the thickness of paint. Apply a heavy coat to the post. 



Posts may be kyanized by soaking them in a liquid made by 

 dissolving 1 pound of blue vitriol in 20 pounds of water. 



