A PRACTICAL XYLOMETER 861 



through the opening or overflow represents the exact volume of the 

 submerged material. Either type gives satisfactory results ; only the 

 former may be operated somev^hat more economically. 



The xylometer shown in the accompanying illustration is of the un- 

 graduated type, and was improvised from an ordinary round-end gal- 

 vanized steel storage tank by simply removing several unnecessary top 

 cross-braces and attaching a spout near the top of one end for the pur- 

 pose of affording an overflow for the displaced water. These tanks 

 are easily procured, for they are carried in stock by most firms dealing 

 in farm and orchard equipment, and the alterations required to convert 

 them into xylometers are inexpensive and easily made by any amateur 

 mechanic. Furthermore, this instrument has a number of other good 

 features, namely, cheapness, practicability, portability, and accuracy. 



The cost is determined primarily by the desired size and the gauge 

 of the galvanized steel sheeting. A tank constructed of number 20 

 gauge galvanized steel sheeting, 7 feet in length, 2 feet high, and 

 213^ feet wide, with a capacity of 245 gallons and a weight of 141 

 pounds, retails at about $12.80. The stock sizes usually range from 

 4 to 10 feet in length and from 2 to 4 feet in width, with a standard 

 height of 2 feet. Small tanks suitable for shingle and lathe mill studies 

 retail for about $6, and extra large sizes for about $20. 



Ease of operation is the chief distinguishing feature of this form of 

 a xylometer. It is a real practical instrument in contradistinction to 

 the round vertical type of the past, which was rarely used on account of 

 its impracticability. The horizontal position of the new instrument 

 facilitates the loading and unloading of the wood, and its added length 

 permits the measurement of long sections of trees. These decisive 

 advantages have extended the range of application of the instrument 

 and reduced the cost of operation considerably. A crew of two men is 

 sufficient to operate it. The rapidity with which the water can be re- 

 placed after each charge is the chief determining factor of the amount 

 of wood which a crew can measure per day. It is very important that 

 the xylometer should be located near an adequate supply of water, or 

 else the displaced water of one charge should be conserved for subse- 

 quent charges. In woods operations the tank may be refilled from a 

 stream by conveying the water through a triangular trough, while in 

 mill operations the water may be obtained from the pipe feeding the 

 boiler. In a lo-hour day a crew of two men should determine the 

 volume of 25 to 40 trees ranging in breast-high diameter from 6 to 18 

 inches, providing an adequate supply of water is constantly at hand. 



