172 FOREST commissioner's report. 



regions, that logs over a certain length shall be scaled as two 

 pieces of equal length ; then since the rule is not well adapted 

 to measuring the diameter in the middle, in order also to save 

 time and expense, diameter is measured only at the top, and 

 a "rise" given for the butt log proportioned to the length or 

 in accordance with the judgment of the scaler. In the hands 

 of experienced and fair men this has worked well, but it does 

 not work smoothly. JNIen can seldom agree in the scale of 

 the same logs. Little differences in manipulation too strongly 

 aft'ect the result. Too much is left to the judgment of the 

 scaler. To failure in either direction, knowledge or disposi- 

 tion, the practice lends itself with peculiar facility. Finally 

 the attempt in some quarters has been given up and it is recog- 

 nized as a fact that the judgment of a fair and experienced 

 man is as reliable as measurement b}^ the rule. Men say in 

 all candor they had just as lives buy logs that way. Indeed 

 many lots of logs are bought of which only a small proportion 

 have been measured. It is common report, how true I cannot 

 personally say, that of the spruce logs consumed at Bangor but 

 a small proportion are actually measured at the final and binding 

 scale. The rest are said to l)e estimated by a man standing 

 on a boom and saying as the logs run by how many of them 

 will make a thousand. This is :i kind of measurement which 

 we employ, and can aUbrd to employ, on no other commodity. 

 It will, finally, be a striking illustration of many things 

 that have just been said about scaling, as it might be a text 



for a good deal more, if we take the tree which we have been 

 usina: for illustration, scale it in different wavs, and see how the 

 results compare. Scale will in each case be given full, that 

 is to say discount for crooks and unsound wood will be left 

 out of view. 



Log as cut, 32 ft. long; contents with bark 31 cu. ft.; scaled as 2 16-ft. logs, 



giving butt log 1 inch rise 169 ft 



Sealed as 2 IG-f t. logs, giving butt log actual rise 185 ft 



A 10 foot log above, that might have been taken, scales 31ft 



Log if cut 40 ft. long; contents with bark 36 cu. ft.; scaled as 2 20-ft. logs, 



giving butt log 2 inches rise 168 ft 



Scaled as 2 20-ft. logs, giving butt log actual rise 195 ft 



Scaled as 4 10-ft. logs, using actual top diameter of each 216 ft 



Whole tree, sawed down at 1^ ft. from ground and taken up to 6 in. diani. ; 

 contents 43 cu. ft.; scaled in 16-ft. lengths from bntt up with actual diam. 226 ft 



Total contents of tlie tree's stem, 46 cu. ft. 



