145 



PART II. 

 REVIEWS. 



A RT. T. Transactions of the Horticultural Socieii/ of London 

 Vol. VII. Part II. 



{Continued from Vol. IV. p. 369.) 



34'. A simplijied Method of marking Numbers on Tallies. By Sir 

 George Steuart Mackenzie, Bart. F.H.S. 



This is an extended modification of Mr. Seton's scheme 

 {JEncyc. of G£ird.,§ 1378.) of great simplicity and ingenuity. 

 Sir George thinks it " more easily retained in the memory," 

 and we have no doubt, that a person constantly occupied with 

 marks of this sort would retain them and their significations 

 with the greatest ease. But when the number of plants is 

 considered that a gardener must retain the names of in his 

 memory, we confess we would rather that numbers were always 

 written or printed ; and, for the benefit of every body, that, in as 

 many cases as possible, the name itself was placed at the plant 

 or other article. For instantaneous marking with a knife in 

 the field or garden, the notching method, however, will always 

 be valuable, and as far as 1000 we would redommend 

 every gardener to make himself master of Sir George S. 

 Mackenzie's method, which he may do in a few minutes, and 

 which is as follows : 



" Only four signs are used in combination, to denote 

 numbers up to 1000, when one more sign carries us on to 

 1,000,000; beyond which, I scarcely suppose it will ever be 

 necessary to number. 



" On reference to the annexed sketch (fg. 24,), you will ob- 

 serve that, the first three signs, and that for 10, are all that I 

 require. The number 4 is denoted by joining 3 and 1 ; 5, by 

 joining 2 and 3; 6, by joining 5 and 1. To denote 7, instead 

 of contriving an arbitrary figure, I use the sign of 3, ^prefixed 

 to that of 10, to denote that 3 is subtracted from 10, and 7 

 remains. In like manner, 2 is subtracted from 1 0, for 8 ; and 

 1 is subtracted for 9. 



" I now take the notch standing for 10 ; and, by placing the 

 signs already made after it, it is denoted that they are to be 

 added to 10. Then we have two notches for 20. 



Vol. V. —No. 19. l 



