88 THE LARCH. 



In valuing old or mature plantations, the following 

 is the practice I pursue : — I provide myself with a 

 foot-rule, graduated leather strap, a pole, marking axe, 

 and red-lead pencil. The strap is from 15 to 20 feet 

 long, and f-inch broad, and is best when made out of 

 a seasoned gig rein. Such straps are not to be bought, 

 but must be home-made and marked as in the annexed 

 figure. 



Lead| 6 [ 7 [8 | 9 |io|ii|i2| 13I i4|i5|i6|i7|i8|i9|2o|2iffe2|23|24|25|26[27[28|29[3o 



The pole is used for taking the height of the tree at 

 1 4 feet up, and the strap for showing the girth or side 

 of the square. By this simple method, the contents 

 of the tree are ascertained almost at a glance. A few 

 examples will show how this is done. Taking the 

 section of the tree at 1 2 feet, the following are the 

 results, sufficiently near for all practical purposes : — 



12 ft. long, 6 in. side of square, | of length, 3 ft. o in. true contents. 



The relative proportions are easily re!hembered, which 

 greatly assist the measurer in arriving at the contents 

 of a tree. The intermediate figures also soon become 

 familiar to the mind when extensively used in practice. 

 If the wood is all of one kind, as larch, spruce, Scotch 



