LOG-EULES. 31 



In the Adirondack region logs are usually bought and sold by the 

 standard, a log of certain size being adopted as the unit, which is called 

 the standard. The standard in o-eneral use is a log 13 feet lono- and 19 

 inches in diameter at the small end. All logs are measured and com- 

 pared with this standard as a unit. The method of comparison for 

 logs of the same length (13 feet) is to divide the square of the diameter 

 of the log at its small end by the square of the diameter of the stand- 

 ard; that is, by 361. The result, whether decimal or whole number, 

 expresses the size of the log in terms of the standard as a unit. In 

 buying and selling logs, five standards are considered equivalent to 

 1,000 feet, board measure. 



The standard log, 13 feet long and 19 inches in diameter at the small 

 end, contains, according to the Doyle rule, 183 feet, board measure; 

 according to the old Scribner rule, 195 feet. But it has repeatedly 

 been proven by tests that a sound, straight, standard log, carefully 

 sawed with a band-saw, will yield 200 feet, board measure, of straight- 

 edged boards; and this is the assumption of the Adirondack lumber- 

 men, who, in handling logs, speak of live standards as being equivalent 

 to 1,000 feet. 



In the Saranac region lumbermen formerly used a log 22 inches in 

 diameter at the small end as a standard unit of calculation. 



When speaking of the 19-inch standard, lumbermen often make use 

 of the term "market" instead of standard, and speak of 20,000 stand- 

 ards as 20,000 markets, meaning 20,000 marketable logs; although, if 

 the timber is small, it might take 60,000 separate pieces to actually 

 scale 20,000 standards, or markets. The Adirondack lumbermen always 

 estimate five 19 inch standards, or markets, as being equal to 1,000 

 feet of logs, board measure; hence a log-job or drive of 50,000 stand- 

 ards may be regarded as equivalent to 10,000,000 feet, board measure. 

 These figures will be more easily understood by an outside lumberman. 

 The idea of buying and selling logs using some certain size as the fixed 

 standard originated with Norman Fox, a pioneer lumberman of War- 

 ren County. 



The methods and rules for the measurement of logs have never been 

 made the subject of any legislation in New York State. Laws have 

 been passed, however, providing for the appointment of a certain 

 number of inspectors and defining the number that may be appointed 

 in each of the various districts into which the State has been divided 

 for this purpose. In L805 an act was passed for the inspection of 

 lumber, rafts, timber, and spars, which allowed the inspectors to 

 charge 37£ cents per M, B. M., and 1-1 cents per 40 cubic feet. The 

 inspectors were required by this law to mark all lumber or timber 

 which they had inspected with a •"marking iron, " showing the number 

 of feet in each piece. 



