EXACT PEOGllESSITE MEASUREMENT OF TREES. 273 



most convenient is an eight-foot tape, but divided progressively by inclies, 

 and with a single inch at the beginning in the opposite direction from zero, 

 divided into tenths of an inch. It is easy to see that with this contrivance 

 it is unnecessary to subdivide any other part of the tape. 



17. The tape being applied, and before it is removed, a few small short 

 lines made with white oil-paint shonld be pnt upon the bark all round, at 

 distances of twelve or eighteen inches, and close to the upper edge of the 

 tape. Thus a fixed line will be obtained for all subsequent measurements. 



18. A number should be painted upon every tree. 



19. A book should be kept in which each measurement should be noted 

 before proceeding to another. 



20. An assistant is advisable, both for celerity and for checking the 

 measurement ; but a single observer can manage by thrusting a strong brass 

 pin through the ring of the tape obliquely into the bark. 



21. While the information derived by the Meteorological Society will be 

 mainly confined to young trees, and such others as an eight-foot tape will 

 girth, it is also a matter of interest to measure individual trees of greater 

 «ize and age, regarding whose rate of growth little is at present known. 



N.B. — The first measurements should be taken on or before the 1st of 

 May, anjd the subsequent ones at any time in October. 



{Specimeyi.) 



Sequoia gigaxtea. — Edinburgh Eoyal Botanic Gardens. 1. Fifty to 

 eighty feet. 2. An undulating plain. 3. A low height, with old trees to 

 west and north-west. 4. No peculiarity. 5. Sandy loam, about 

 deep, with subsoil of pure sand. 6. None. 7. None. 8. Four trees only, 

 at two places, with other young trees around, but not very near. 9 to 20. 

 All attended to. 



May 1, 1878. Oct. 1, 1878. Oct. 1, 1879. Oct. 1, 1880. 



No. 1. 23-95 inches. 25*10 inches. 25*90 inches. 26*90 inches. 



„ 2. 23*95 „ 25*70 „ 27*35 „ 29*15 „ 



„ 3. 18*95 „ 20-80 „ 22*30 „ 23*80 „ 



„ 4. 23*85 „ 25*10 „ 26*80 „ 28*35 „ 



EXPERIMENT IN CATTLE FEEDING. 

 By John Milxe, Mains of Laithers, Turriff. 

 [Premium — TJie Medium Gold Medal] 



An accurate knowledge of the progress made by farm stock at 

 the different ages, and from an ascertained weight of food of the 

 different kinds, would be of much value to the stock farme-r ; 

 yet, notwithstanding the recognised importance of this know- 

 ledge in a pecuniary sense, there is perhaps no branch of every- 

 day farm practice of wliich we are so ignorant. This is shown 

 from tlie very few reliable feeding experiments on record, and 

 the widely different practice of practical farmers in regard to the 

 use of cattle feeding stuffs. One farmer uses a large quantity of 

 these, and su])poses that witliout the use of such it would be im- 

 possible for liim to pay rent, or keep his farm in improving con- 

 dition. }{is next neighbour perliaps does not use a ton of these 



S 



