Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1915-12-31

model IN desperation, after having for
years failed to find label that would
keep true the name of q type collec-
ton of narcissi and other bulbs which
was forming. The heaving by frost
and rotting and peeling OF wooden
labels exasperated me. One time a
cat, taking a roll in my bed entirely
destroyed the labelling of a lot of cor
rectly named plants sent me by Mr..
F. W. Burbridge. of the Glasnevin
Gardens. Dublin, Ireland, SO had the
labels made for myself and a friend.
There Is no question that. in a named
collection OF herbaceous and bulbous
save their cost in preserving the
names OF plants, and also save it in
the time lost in rewriting and re-
placing labels.
Il have used these to advantage in
keeping a record Of hybridized seed
lings. An old label somewhat cor
roded will hold writings made by a
common lead pencil for an indefinite
time. In such case, I would write a
complete history Of the plant in pen
ell on the under side of the label,
where it is out of the weather and re-
mains clear and legible.
Because of the shape of this label
1t is little awkward to write upon,
but this can easily be overcome by
making a triangular hole In the bot
tom of cigar box--the shallow kind
that hold fifty cigars-and cutting
slot in the cover on the opposite side
of the box. The lid of the box is
fastened to a board which is long
enough to set over q drawer in the
table. q use the drawer in the
kitchen table.) This will bring the
shank of the label at an angle that
will permit its face to lie horizontally
on the box and make writing easy.
For marking large shrubs I have
used a fiat piece of zinc two and one
half by three and one-haif inches. A
hole was punched near the edge of
one of the long slides, through which
copper wire was run to fasten 1t to
the shrub. A long piece of wire was
used, to prevent any danger of grid
ing. This form of label has one OBJ
lection: there Is a galvanic action
which causes the copper wire to eat
through the zinc. The time which
these labels will last varies; son1e-
times they last several months, when
the label drops from the wire; other
labels hang on for several years. This
fault could easily be remedied. / be-
lieve, IL brass eyelet, such as Is
used In Shoes were put in the hole for
fastening the label to the shrub.
"a more permanent label for shrubs,
| but not so attractive or effective. can
be made from q piece of sheet zinc.
have these labels made triangular In
form, seven and one-half inches long.
| the short side of the triangle being
about three-fourths of an inch. The
name is written on the big end and
the label Is wrapped about the limb
of the small trees or shrubs. This is
much better than the wooden label
with copper wire, for there is no dam
ger of it ever girdling the tree. The
zinc is rolled loosely about the limb,
and even IL the limb does grow to the
full size of the zinc ring It easily ex-
pands, thus preventing all danger OF
girdling. When fruit trees and shrubs
come from the nursery the copper
wired, wooden labels should be re-
moved at once and labels of this sort
substituted.
Many good fruit trees have been
spoiled by neglecting to remove the
copper-wired wooden labels; the
limbs soon becoming girdled.
There is on the market very de-
sirable form of zinc label which is
permanent ana unobtrusive. 1t con-
sists of q small zinc tag, which can
be purchased In various sizes. with
an eyelet in one end. Long iron rods,
also with an eyelet at one end, can be
purchased to go with them, the zinc
tag being wired to the eye in the rod.
The wooden label is Indispensable
about a greenhouse for temporary
labelling. You can buy them painted
and unpainted. The unpainted ones
are slightly cheaper, and, think, the
best to buy, because even the painted
labels should be repainted by the
user before marking. To write on
these wooden labels. have some thick
white paint at hand and rub 1t on
the label with a rag. Before it be-
comes dry, while it is still "tacky,"
write the name with soft lead
pencil. I have known wooden labels
thus made, which were to be sus-
spended from trees. to last for years,
hut in the greenhouse they should not
be expected to last very long.
To label the fruit garden is quite
another proposition. For the brambles
l-blackberries, raspberries. currants,
pooseberries and strawberries-I
think that, as rule, the wooden
stake painted white, with black let
tering. is about the most serviceable
form Of label Such a label should be
made from one-inch material should
be about two and one-half inches
wide and about thirty inches long.
pine and chestnut are the most dur
able woods, that can be easily oD-
| tanned, out of which to make 1t.
Young fruit trees should be marked
with the long-strip zinc label which
7 have already described, but as they
become older more legible label will
be needed: besides, as the trunk of the
| tree becomes larger these small labels
will drop off. One of the agricultural
experiment stations used a zinc label
one and one-half inches wide and
eieht inches long, on which the name
of the variety was painted IN piaek
paint and the label fastened TO the
tree with a piece of copper wire eigh-
teen or more inches In length; TINS
made a sufficiently large loop to pre-
vent Rirdling. With the advant Of the
san lose scale and the spraying with
Iiue-suJphur wash to eradicate 1t,
these labels were found unsatiSfao-
tory. as the spraying material almost
entirely obliterated the name. In
fheir place the station Is now using
grostel aluminium label seven
eighths of an inch wide, and as long
as is necessary to get the name on,
the lettering being punched In from
the under side, making raised letters
Thasa ore used in the same way as
we're the zinc labels, or they can De
tackled to the trees by means OF
The same label can be used in the
vineyard by securing 1t to a heavy
niece of galvanized wire. This wire,
or shank, Is bent around the top wire
of trellis and hooks on to the second
|. wire. sufficient wire extends above the
top wire to hold the label above the
| foliage. ---------
Farm Facts
save the horse manure for the hot