82 INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING FOREST SURVEYS, ETC. 



of the system is the township, wliich is, conventionally, 

 6 miles square and contains 36 sections of 640 acres 

 each, or 23,040 acres. 



Inasmuch as meridian lines converge toward the 

 North Pole, it is evident that townships will have a 

 trapezoidal form and that they will materially decrease 

 in area toward the north unless correction lines are 

 introduced. The system is as follows (see fig. 13, p. 81) : 



Beginning at the initial points, a base line is run due 

 east and west with standard parallels 24 miles distant. 

 From these parallels guide meridians, 24 miles distant, 

 are run due north and "close" on the standard paral- 

 lels. This divides the region into tracts 24 miles 

 square, except for the convergence mentioned. Then 

 township lines are run, making tracts which are 6 miles 

 square. These are afterwards " subdivided" into sec- 

 tions. The conventional section is legally subdivided 

 into quarters and quarter-quarters, and by common 

 usage into smaller subdivisions, but unless otherwise 

 specified these are all proportionate areas to the quarter 

 section. A conventional section is cut into quarters by 

 straight lines which connect the quarter corners on its 

 boundaries. 



Whenever, as in the case of timber sales, it becomes 

 necessary to survey and mark a line which bounds some 

 alienation, it is important that the line should be either 

 legally correct or should be agreed to in writing by the 

 private owner for the purpose of the sale, and in case 

 of a disagreement no timber should be marked for cat- 

 ting in the disputed strip until the merits of the case 

 have been submitted to the Forester and his instructions 

 received. 



