Remarks on Garden Tallies. 543 



the generic and specific names in full, and which will last as 

 long as a tally may be required. 



Tallies for general botanical Garden Purposes in the open 

 Garden. — For these purposes, none, in my opinion, both for 

 appearance and durability, surpass moderately sized oak tallies, 

 with a beveled surface for the name, which, when well painted, 

 will remain distinctly legible for four or five years, when they 

 may be taken up, cleaned, repainted, and relettered, and they 

 will then appear nearly as good as when they were new. The 

 usual colour of these tallies is white lettered in black ; but, for 

 naming pinetums or single trees on lawns, a grass-green 

 lettered in white is far preferable. Tallies of this kind, made 

 off-inch oak 10 in. high and 2>\ in. wide, have been found to 

 last upwards of twenty years. This is rather an expensive tally 

 in the first instance, but, when a garden is once supplied with 

 them, the annual outlay to keep up the stock is trifling. 

 Making, painting, and lettering of this kind amount to about 

 sevenpence each tally. 



The next most recommendable kind is of yellow deal, made 

 of ^-inch wood, 1 ft. in length and 2 in. wide, rounded on the 

 top and painted at bottom. Tallies of this kind are not so 

 durable, on the whole, as oak ; but, if they are kept upright in 

 the ground, one lettering is found to remain legible as long as 

 the wood lasts. In a damp situation (a border appropriated to 

 sedges and ferns in the Oxford garden), tallies which have been 

 lettered nine or ten years are now distinctly legible, though their 

 lower ends are much decayed. The cost of this tally is about 

 fourpence each. 



Either of the above-mentioned is far preferable to slate, 

 brick, or any other composition, because they are not 

 subject to the influence of frost or breakage; and to iron, be- 

 cause they are not subject to corrosion, nor are so apt to be 

 displaced or sunk into the ground in raking and cleaning up 

 the borders, which, without the greatest care of the gardener, 

 is unavoidably the case with iron tallies. Owing to the small- 

 ness of the part which is stuck into the ground, they are 

 constantly being turned round or overturned altogether, which 

 gives them a slovenly appearance, unless they are as constantly 

 replaced, which is a continual trouble. 



Tallies for naming Trees, fyc, against Walls. — If it is deemed 

 necessary to nail the tally against the wall, which in most cases 

 is found to outlast those stuck into the ground, lead, porce- 

 lain, or wood may be used at discretion. Lead, stamped as 

 recommended for alpines, &c, is preferable for durability, but 

 for appearance porcelain is most recommendable. Wooden 

 tallies, painted green and lettered white, have a good and neat 

 appearance, and are found to remain perfectly legible for seven 



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