SOME MINOR ACCESSORIES 277 



branch. These labels have the advantage 

 that the lead gives with the growth of the 

 branch, and therefore does no injury to the 

 tree. Zinc labels may be cut from the sheet 

 with shears, and the name etched upon them 

 by first coating them with paraffin or wax, 

 scratching the lettering with a steel point, 

 and then applying dilute sulphuric acid with 

 a strip of wood until the letters are etched 

 deeply enough. Copious effervescence will 

 show that the acid is biting into the zinc. 



If the lettering on lead or zinc labels is 

 smeared with red enamel and the surface 

 wiped clean with a rag, the name will be more 

 clearly visible. 



I have already more than once protested 

 against the use of paint in the garden. I 

 admit the temptation to revive the freshness 

 of things with a touch of colour in town gardens. 

 But the remedy is worse than the disease, if 

 the garden man is let loose with an unrestricted 

 palette. 



Stonework, terra-cotta, porous pottery (into 

 which category comes the flower pot), and 

 most woodwork, is best left unpainted. Iron- 

 work, of which the less there is in the 



