176 FOREST COMJIISSIOXEIt'S REPORT. 



boauweet ^^^^ thing unrlei" the head of scaling still remains 



feet"^^'' to be dealt with. That is the ratios of board feet 

 to cubic feet used in the earlier portions of this report. A 

 problem was involved there somewhat difficult of solution. 

 The settlement of it finally chosen may perhaps not be gen- 

 erally approved of as the best one. 



It is well known that the larger a log is, the better, when 

 a board rule is used, does it scale. So it is clearly with trees. 

 The larger they are, the longer they arc left to grow, the bet- 

 ter tliey^ scale in proportion to their cubic contents. But how 

 shall we measure the rate of this increase ? 



A partial answer to that question given by Judge Buswell, 

 as a result of his study of the scale rule was detailed in the 

 last Maine Forest Commissioner's Report. Saw logs, accord- 

 ing to the usual Kennebec standard, are logs that will meas- 

 ure at least 8 inches at 20 feet. Such a log scales, by the 

 Maine I02: rule, 55 feet. A 6 inch log of the same lensfth scales 

 25 feet. Log's of the latter size are salable on the Kennebec 

 for pulp. Judge Buswell then, having ascertained approxi- 

 mately the time required for a tree to grow two inches in 

 diameter, figured out the increase in percent at compound 

 interest, and determined on a policy of cutting governed 

 thereby. 



It took a very clear-headed man to solve so neatly and sat- 

 isfactorily this highly practical problem. For the purposes 

 of the present work, however, figures so derived do not 

 appear to be sufficient. The growth in length is left out of 

 account. In the larger tree, part of what is above eight 

 inches in diameter is often used. It will be used in the 

 future at any rate if not used now. In figures for general 

 application, account will have to be made of it. 



An example cited by Mr. Crawford from the records of the 

 New York forest commission will throw light on this matter. In 

 1875 there stood in an Adirondack forest a small spruce tree 

 ninety-seven years of age, able to yield a log six inches in diame- 

 ter at the top and thirteen feet long. This Mr. Crawford scales 

 at 13.5 feet. In the ypar named the larger trees were cut 



