STAKE LABELS. 99 



ject, we shall therefore confine our remarks to the kinds 

 of labels whicli are now in use, or were until within a 

 few years. 



STAKE LABELS. 



Writing uj^on stakes which are driven in the soil is a 

 common method of labeling plants. The place on the 

 stake where the name or other characters are to be 

 written should be made smooth, and coated with white 

 paint before being used. Two applications of paint are 

 sometimes put on, the first being allowed to get hard; 

 afterward a second coat is applied, and the name of the 

 plant written with a common blacklead or other pencil 

 while the paint is still soft. 



We generally use but one coat of paint, writing upon 

 the label at the time of applying it; but after it has 

 become dry, give the label a coat of pure boiled linseed- 

 oil. This not only preserves the wood, but fixes the 

 writing, and makes it more permanent than it would 

 be Avithout this application. Another excellent plan for 

 preserving the writing is to use a small wedge-shape 

 label, w^hich may be attached to the stake either by a 

 screw, nail, or by a staple, the face of the small label 

 being placed against the side of the stake, so that it shall 

 not be exposed to the weather. Red cedar and yellow 

 locust are probably the two best kinds of wood for stake 

 labels. They are both fine grained and readily made 

 smooth, and their lasting qualities are well known. White 

 oak, pitch-pine, cypress, white cedar, and several other 

 kinds of native wood, will answer the purpose very well; 

 but we have none equal to the red cedar or locust. 



