The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1875-05-13
Labelling Orchard Trees.

In nine cases out of ten the farmer
who plants an orchard will find no little
difficulty in distinguishing varieties of
fruit after the labels attached, one to
each bundle of varieties, have become il
legible, which, being marked in pencil
upon strip of wood, they soon do.
Upon planting an orchard, whether of
pip or stone fruits, or vineyard, or even
"a plantation of berries, diagram on
paper should be made, showing accurate
ly the location of each row and the va
rieties therein. The way to do this will
easily suggest itself. If the trees are lost
from hard winters, or any other cause
and are replaced by other varieties, cor
responding alterations should be made
in the map. We found, years ago, this
plan to work we'll.
Now, if to this you add a good, dura-
BILE. legible and conspicuous label to
each tree, vine, bush or shrub, not only
yourself and your family will soon be
come familiar with varieties, but a little
observation will enable anyone soon to
distinguish very many of them at sight
by the peculiarities of wood or growth.
One of the difficulties in this direction
is that if the labels are put on with
Irvine, a single season rots it, and the
label is lost. lfput on with wire, sooner
or later it girdles the limb to which it is
attached
Various plans for marking have been
adopted from time to time, many of
them patented, and none of them are
especially valuable. Among the latest
labels We have seen are very small ones
of zinc, stamped with any name de-
sired. These are, of course, as lasting as
the metal itself. but they are inconspicu-
Gus, and, we think, preposterously high
in price. By fastening at one end a
strip of red flannel or other light cloth
either by punching and wiring, or, better.
by leaving a strip long enough so It
might be turned over and the cloth fast
ened in the fold of metal; by painting,
or by the various other ways that will
easily suggest themselves, it would be
an improvement. The word various is
used because We wish to cover the whole
ground, so that the average inventor
may not steal the idea and rush down to
the place where patent is given to any
thing that carries the fee with it. So
this combination of metal and cloth.
paint, etc. insures both durability and
conspicuousness.
Ii the other end of the label be
pierced, and wire attached, ending in
loop at the other end, through which
tack or very small brad may be put,
and driven into the tree; or, better again,
if something like a GLACIERS point,
pierced for the wire, be used, which may
be easily driven into the smallest limb,
or fastened in any way except around
the branch, we have very nearly perfec-
tion in this direction We want again
to cover the ground against plant pat
ents, and thus you may have label be-
yOnd which little need be desired; at
least we found it six years ago, except
we used labels marked with indelible
ink on strong white cloth, which were
troublesome to write, and not all that
could be desired in other respects.
When at the nursery of Arthur Bry-
ant, Jr., near Princeton, ILL.,, last fail, we
saw system of labels in use there that
we considered invaluable For the
ground stakes about eighteen inches
long were prepared, we think, with some
composition Of gas tar, etc, so far as
they entered the ground. The top was
then soaked in oil and stenciled with
common lampblack. The tree-labels
were slips of wood large enough to take
a fair sized letter; they were soaked in
oil and then stenciled like the stakes.
AhSy "ClC dttdCicu 10 lTetS ny DtIuS
Topped to limb with strong Irvine
soaked like the labels in oil. Thus
looped on, of course there could be no
danger of girdling limb or of damage
thereto by strangulation.
The question of imperishable wooden
labels and how to make them so has
long occupied scientific Investigators.
An excellent cheap and simple plan is
given in the London Garden for rendering
wooden labels imperishable by partial
petrifaction artificially.
After the labels are made they are
soaked in strong solution of sulphate
of iron, then thoroughly dried and after
ward soaked in strong lime water-tbe
clear sclution-not milk of lime. In this
they must remain until the lime-water
has thoroughly permeated the pores of
the wood. This insoluble sulphate of
lime will be forced throughout the pores
of the wood, preventing the absorption
of water and consequent decay. Irvine
for tying plants may be treated in a sim
liar manner.-Chicaq0 Tribune.