202 Forestry Quarterly. 



northerly through the center of the tract. The bench marks 

 established by the lumber company in building their logging 

 railroad, which ran northerly through the center of the eastern 

 part of the tract, were located and marked so that they could 

 easily be picked up. The survey of the Halifax and South- 

 western R. R. was obtained from the files of that road. This 

 preliminary work occupied my companions for three weeks, 

 allowing time for me to arrange plans for the carrying out of 

 the main part of the work, and organize the crews. 



The lumber company did not care to go to the expense of 

 blocking the area into mile squares or other rectangular units ; 

 and held that an estimate by water sheds or parts of the larger 

 watersheds . would answer their, purpose. It was, howevcj|r, 

 deemed advisable, in order to accurately map the property and 

 to aid in the proper estimating of the tract, to have some system 

 of interior survey. After discussion with the lumber company's 

 Woods Superintendent the following plan was decided upon. 

 A spotted base line was to be run northerly from a point about 

 midway of the south boundary to the north boundary. At inter- 

 vals of two miles along this line other base lines were to be run 

 east and west to the boundaries. The first of these was to begin 

 at the starting point of the north and south line, and was to be 

 numbered i, and called East or West as it ran east or west 

 from the north and south line. The second line was to begin at 

 the 2 mile point of the north and south line, and was to be 

 called No. 2 East and No. 2 West as the case might be. In all, 

 there were to be five such lines. This system allowed of easy ref- 

 erence in the notes of the chainmen or cruisers to whichever line 

 they were on- The lines were to be run with a stafif compass, 

 to be heavily spotted and well bushed, and accurately measured 

 with a Gunter's chain. Heavy, well-marked posts were to be set 

 at intersections with boundary lines, railroads, and important 

 highways. Quarter-mile trees were to be established for future 

 reference, and for the convenience of the estimators. The two- 

 mile interval between base lines was chosen because it offered a 

 maximum amount of control of area with a minimum of cost, 

 and also made a fair day's work for the estimator to travel from 

 one line to the other and back, four miles in all. In practice, 

 an estimator can, if necessary, do more in this section; but as 



